Making 300 cuts would seem to be a milestone in professional golf.
It’s not as significant as making the 3,000-hit club in baseball, which 33 batters have made, but still, if a player had a career of 20 years on the PGA Tour, that would be 15 made cuts a year, so it’s nothing to sneeze at.
On the PGA Tour, 206 players have reached that landmark moment, making it less of a milestone and more of an accomplishment.
The newest member of the club is 44-year-old Nick Watney.
Earlier this year, Watney made the cut in the Puerto Rico Open to move to 300 made cuts and then added his 301st at the ONEflight Myrtle Beach Classic.
For Watney, he made the cut in over 60 percent of his appearances.
“I actually played a practice round with Bill Haas and his dad, Jay, who is caddying for him, and I think he’s made 500 cuts, which blows my mind,” Watney said. “It’s cool. My dream since I was little was to play on the PGA Tour, so I take pride in the fact that I’ve been out for a little while.”
Hass is the gold standard in made cuts at 592, with his last coming at the 2006 PGA Championship at Medinah Country Club.
Haas started his career in 1976, playing in his first professional event and making his first cut at the Western Open earning him $535.
“I played a lot, played a long time, but back in the day, if you made the cut, you didn’t have to Monday qualify,” Haas said. “So, making the cut was the number one priority. I got a paycheck, and I didn’t have to go Monday to wherever to try to qualify.”
Making the cut mentality never left Haas and ultimately, he felt it impacted how he played, making him focus on making the cut, which made his play more conservative, paying attention to where the cut lie was all the time and not trying to put himself in a situation where he may fall below the line.
Cuts Made Leaders on the PGA Tour
| Player | Cuts Made | Starts |
|---|---|---|
|
Jay Haas |
592 |
799 |
|
Tom Kite |
591 |
715 |
|
Raymond Floyd |
581 |
726 |
|
Davis Love III |
571 |
791 |
|
Gene Littler |
566 |
647 |
|
Doug Ford |
560 |
744 |
|
Arnold Palmer |
543 |
703 |
|
John Cook |
538 |
796 |
|
Phil Mickelson |
537 |
667 |
|
Miller Barber |
533 |
711 |
“I would maybe get one or two under the cut, and I could afford a bogey here, but don’t make a double, stuff like that,” Haas said of his approach. “Whereas now people play more aggressively, I think I watch on TV, and they’re stronger, hit it longer, and all that different stuff. So, it’s a different game. But I think that my mindset was to keep it in front of me and try not to screw up.”
Haas played in 799 PGA Tour events and made the cut over 74 percent of the time.
No one is close to catching Haas, with Zach Johnson the nearest active player at 398 made cuts.
Related: Early 66 Puts Nick Watney in the Hunt in Myrtle Beach Classic
Related: Rory McIlroy’s Philosophy at Truist Championship: ‘Hit Driver Everywhere’
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