Getty Tony Finau of the United States waves after a birdie on the tenth green during the second round of the 2019 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach Golf Links on June 14, 2019 in Pebble Beach, California.
We’re midway through the second day of the U.S. Open, and eyes are starting focus on which players are going to miss the cut. The current leader is Justin Rose, who was 7-under par through 24 holes at Pebble Beach.
Some notables such as Phil Mickelson and Bubba Watson, as well as up and coming players such as Tony Finau, are all in danger of packing their bags early. Before understanding how much peril they are in, it’s worth explaining the U.S. Open cut rules.
According to PGA.com, the top 60 players (including ties) make the cut. Unlike other tournaments such as the Masters, there is no rules keeping players in contention if they are 10 shots behind or less. Per the site:
These rules were implemented in 2012 to combat increasingly large weekend fields.
With that in mind, what do number do Mickelson and company need to reach to stick around?
Projected Cut Number at 2019 U.S. Open
ESPN’s leaderboard currently projects the cut to occur at 1-over par. This morning, Sporting News had this exact number, as well.
Here’s the rationale. As of this publishing, there are 59 players at even par or higher. This includes 21 players tied for 39th, including stars such as Dustin Johnson and Tommy Fleetwood. Just below them is a logjam at 1-over par, who are all tied for 60th place.
One of those players is Mickelson. If he and his fellow 60th placed golfers play even par the rest of the way, they will be safe. However, with him hugging the absolute bottom of the top 60, there will be sweating down the stretch.
Meanwhile, Watson is at 4-over par and is set to tee off in the late afternoon. He will have to majorly rebound to stay alive, probably needing to shoot a 67 or even 66. Finau is halfway through Day Two and still sitting at 3-over.
Tiger Woods Day Two at U.S. Open
Tiger Woods is looking for his second major of the year. So far, he is treading water to set himself up nicely for a weekend push. Through seven holes, he was at 2-under par and five strokes behind Rose.
He’s played a mostly clean game, not recording any bogeys while notching a birdie on his second hole (No. 11, as he is starting on the back-9 first).
Woods missed the PGA cut in his first major after dramatically taking the 2019 Masters in April.
In Augusta, he ended Friday at 6-under par after a round of 68. If he continues to avoid mistakes and convert on scoring chances when possible, he will be in healthy position to win come Sunday.
It’s a far cry from his last U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, when he recorded a 12-under par, a full 15 strokes ahead of runner-up Ernie Els.