What is the Master’s cut? Position Tiger Woods must at least finish to secure the record.
Tiger Woods can create a new Masters record if he makes the cut at Augusta National, but his interrupted first round may make or break the rest of his campaign.
Day 1 of the Masters has ended, with Bryson DeChambeau leading tournament favourite Scottie Scheffler by one shot after finishing seven under par.
The 89 golfers at Augusta National will all be vying for a legendary triumph at the iconic major and the precious green jacket, in addition to the £2.6 million prize purse. Tiger Woods, a five-time winner, is simply focused on making the cut at this early point, hungry to make history.
The golf legend has made the cut in 23 straight Augusta National outings, tying with three-time champion Gary Player and 1992 winner Fred Couples. Should Woods make it to Day 3, he will shatter the record, and he’s off to a fantastic start.
Woods is now one-under-par and tied for 15th, but his first round was cut short due to a weather delay, so he will play on Friday morning. Woods will be conscious that any mistake might result in him missing the cut and losing his lone record. But what’s the cut? Mirror Sport discusses which players make it to the final round and why.
The cut merely narrows the field as the competition progresses to the final two rounds, which are held on Saturday and Sunday. The rules have altered four times since their implementation in 1957.
As of 2020, golfers in the top 50 (including ties) advance to the final two rounds, while everyone outside of that is eliminated. Between 2013 and 2019, the same rules were followed, but in the event of a close race, all players within 10 strokes of the leader progressed to the last 36 holes.
From 1962 to 2012, only the top 44 and those within 10 strokes advanced to the final two rounds. This was an upgrade over the initial cut rules of 1957-1961, which eliminated any player outside of the top 40 (including ties) from the competition.
Woods will almost probably make the cut if he has another strong round on Day 2, but currently all players two over par will be eliminated. Woods will have to finish his first round before beginning round two, but the extra golf may benefit the five-time champion.
“If everything comes together, I think I can get one more,” Woods said earlier this week when asked about setting a new record. Last year, Woods nearly missed the cut, but he made it to round three by one stroke.
He withdrew before resuming play on Sunday last year, ending his streak of playing all 72 holes in every professional competition at Augusta National. He broke his record streak last year, but he is desperate to continue it on Friday.
