A handful of top golfers were in danger of missing the cut line at the 2021 U.S. Open on Friday but managed to stay above it.
The top of the leaderboard at Torrey Pines contains some unfamiliar names at the moment. Richard Bland and Russell Henley (-5) will lead the tournament after 36 holes. The group chasing him contains more familiar names, such as Louis Oosthuizen (-4), Matthew Wolff (-4), Jon Rahm (-3) and Bubba Watson (-3).
Meanwhile, players like Hideki Matsuyama, Phil Mickelson and Jordan Spieth were in danger of missing the cut at various points Friday. Gary Woodland, the 2019 U.S. Open champion, was also flirting with the cut line at 3 over. They all survived and made it to the weekend.
One player who just made the cut was 19-year-old Akshay Bhatia, who birdied the par-5 18th to get to 4 over.
Heading to the weekend! 🙌
— Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) June 19, 2021
19-year-old @akshaybhatia_1 birdied the last to get inside the cut line. #USOpenpic.twitter.com/CmABiLT8vP
More than half of the 156-player field missed the cut at the 2021 U.S. Open.
Here's everything you need to know about the U.S. Open cut line, rules and results as players jockeyed to make the weekend.
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U.S. Open cut rules
Every major on the PGA Tour has its own cut rules. For the U.S. Open, it's simple: The top 60 players on the leaderboard after 36 holes automatically make it through to the third round, including ties.
The U.S. Open cut line is one of the most exclusive. Only the top 50 players make the cut at the Masters. The top 70 players make the cut at the PGA Championship and The Open Championship.
U.S. Open cut line 2021
Richard Bland and Russell Henley are leading the U.S. Open at 5 under par after 36 holes. Louis Oosthuizen and Matthew Wolff are one back at 4 under. Jon Rahm and Bubba Watson are next at 3 under. The cut line was 4 over, and 85 players missed the cut at the end of the second round.
- Cut line: +4
- Players within cut: 71
- Notables below cut line: Erik van Rooyen (+5), Zach Johnson (+6), Matt Kuchar (+6)
How many make the cut at the U.S. Open?
The initial 156-player field was whittled down to 71 ahead of the first group teeing off Saturday morning.
U.S. Open live leaderboard
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