126th U.S. Open: What is the cut at Shinnecock?

The U.S. Open always offers one of golf's most difficult tests, and this year is no different. With Shinnecock Hills Golf Club hosting the 2026 edition and windy and rainy weather, it won't be any easier.

The top 60 players and ties will make the 36-hole cut at the U.S. Open, with no cut between the third and fourth rounds. It’s a contrast from the season’s other majors – the PGA Championship and The Open each take 70 players and ties through 36 holes. The Masters takes the top 50 and ties, but the field at Augusta National is traditionally less than 100 players, compared to the 156-player fields at the season’s other three major championships. (The top 65 and ties make the cut at THE PLAYERS Championship, also a 156-player field).

Prior to 2012, the U.S. Open also implemented a 10-shot rule, under which any additional players within 10 shots of the lead would also make the 36-hole cut. This rule was removed to keep too many players from making the cut and to maintain the pace of weekend play, said former USGA Executive Director Mike Davis at the time. For example, in the 1996 U.S. Open at Oakland Hills, 108 players made the cut.

The U.S. Open’s history of notoriously difficult course conditions means the event often produces one of the season’s highest cut lines. Last year’s cut at Oakmont Country Club saw those at 7-over par the last in to qualify for the weekend, and the last time Shinnecock hosted a U.S. Open in 2018, the cutline was 8 over. The highest cutline for a U.S. Open at Shinnecock was back in 1986 when it moved all the way to 10-over par. Seventy players would make the cut that year as Raymond Floyd captured a two-stroke victory and the fourth and final major championship of his career.

The pressure surrounding Friday's cut line is unlike anything else in professional golf – and it’s always on full display at the U.S. Open.