US Open: Cut line explained

PINEHURST, NC — A challenging course could mean a full weekend for the U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2. The USGA's cut line for the U.S. Open is set at the top 60 players and a tie after the first 36 holes. After one round, 64 of the 156 players would have made the cut.

However, that number could be even higher as conditions are more difficult on Friday and the field should remain close together. At the time of publication, the cutline included 79 players.

For reference, the Masters features top 50 players and ties, although that major has a much smaller field than the U.S. Open, with fewer than 100 players. The PGA and Open Championships feature 70 players and ties, and the Players Championship features 65 players and ties; all three tournaments also have 156-player fields.

Some other cut tidbits, courtesy of the USGA:

The youngest player to make the cut since World War II, when records were first kept, is Beau Hossler, who was 17 years and three months old when he made the cut in 2012. He finished T29. The oldest: Sam Snead, 61 years, 10 months and 19 days old when he made the cut in 1973 and, oddly enough, also finished T29.

The highest cut after 36 holes was made in 1955, at an astonishing 15 over par. The lowest cut was made just last year, when the cut was 2 over par at Los Angeles Country Club. At the 1996 US Open, 108 players made the cut at Oakland Hills, by far the most. (Second: the 88 who made the cut at Baltusrol in 1993.)

There have been six father-son duos at the US Open, but only one where both made the cut: the Kirkwoods, Joe and Joe Jr., back in 1948 at Riviera. Several brother-sister teams have made the cut at both the US Open and the US Women's Open, most recently Minjee and Min Woo Lee in the last two years.