The US Senior Open 36-hole cut rule is one of the strictest in golf, limiting the weekend field to the top 60 players and ties -- a big difference from the lack of any cut in standard PGA Tour Champions events, including two of their five majors.
So, in a field of 156 players at the US Senior Open, more than half are going home after the second round. Do US Senior Open players get paid if they miss the cut?
Actually, they do, if they're a professional golfer. At the US Senior Open, the professionals who miss the 36-hole cut are also paid. In 2024, those professionals who missed the cut were paid $4,000. Amateurs are not paid, and it's paid out of the total purse.
The Senior PGA Championship and Senior Open Championship also pay players when they miss the cut.
At the Senior PGA Championship, players who miss the cut are paid $1,250. The figure is similar at the Senior Open Championship.
At the other two PGA Tour Champions majors, the fields are limited to 78 players and every player earns a payday for completing the four rounds of the tournament, with the capability to play the weekend. Those are the Kaulig Companies Championship and the Regions Tradition, which were created by the Tour to ensure a full season of major championships on the 50-plus tour.
