The field for The Masters will soon be cut as some go home before the weekend’s action – but how is it decided and how many will be going through?
We are a quarter of the way through the 2022 Masters at Augusta – with South Korea’s Im Sung-jae leading on -5 under par.
Five-time champion Tiger Woods is back on -1, with reigning Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama is evens after hitting a par 72 through the first 18 holes.
But soon the Masters field will be trimmed as the cut comes into force, with some packing up their clubs and heading home.
What is the cut at The Masters in 2022 – and how is it decided?
The cut at The Masters is something deployed in every tournament – and major.
It is a way to trim the field – over 90 strong at Augusta in 2022 – down to a smaller number for the weekend when the prizes will be handed out.
The Masters first adopted the cut in 1957, and it has undergone various tweaks to the format over the year.
The most recent one came about in 2020.
HOW MANY WILL GO THROUGH?
Previously, to avoid the cut at The Masters, a golfer would need to be within the top 50 (including ties) or within ten strokes of the lead.
This had increased from top 40 to top 44 over the iterations of the cut.
In 2020, the new system was adopted whereby the top 50 at the end of round two – 36 holes, a par of 144 strokes, will secure passage to Saturday.
If for example, there are a clutch of six golfers all tied for 50th place on -2 under par at the end of the second round, all would be through to the next round.
The first golfer -1 under par would lead those packing up and heading for the Augusta national car parks – unless he is the defending champion, in which case he’ll be needed to dish out the Green Jacket on Sunday.
