What’s the lower line on the U.S. Open Championship?
As anticipation builds for the 2024 U.S. Open at Pinehurst Resort & Nation Membership’s Course No. 2, June 13-16, one of the vital compelling subplots will unfold throughout the second spherical—the place will the lower line fall, and who will end above or beneath it? This “event inside the event” decides who qualifies to contend for the championship title over the weekend, with fortunes swaying because the lower line shifts. Gamers will vie fiercely to safe their spot on or above the lower line, determined to keep away from an early exit that can ship them house with no probability for glory or a shot at large prize cash.
Gamers aren’t the one ones with heaps at stake with regards to the lower line. Because the event drama performs out, followers onsite and at house might be monitoring the leaderboard and sharing within the pressure. A giant motive for that is betting. Whereas predicting who will win is the championship’s customary wager, one of the vital fashionable prop bets–or various wagers–is placing cash down on the place the lower line falls. The sports activities books set the percentages on the lower line a number of days upfront of the event and people odds flucuate in actual time as the primary two rounds unfold. Every stroke carries weight, and every ending rating doubtlessly shifts the ultimate lower line.
Key Takeaways
–Within the U.S. Open, the sector’s prime 60 and ties survive the lower line after 36 holes to play all 4 rounds and compete for the championship crown.
–The united statesOpen lower guidelines have modified over time. Minimize strains and making the lower are celebrated in U.S. Open historical past lore.
–Predicting the lower line quantity is likely one of the hottest prop bets throughout the championship.
–If this 12 months’s U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2 can repeat the thrill of the 2023 championship at Los Angeles Nation Membership, gamers, followers and bettors are in for an exciting experience.
Making the lower on the U.S. Open
Though the U.S. Open will get underway with a area of 156 golfers, solely the highest 60 gamers and ties after the primary two rounds advance to play the ultimate two rounds. The lower line is the final qualifying rating that fills out the highest 60 and ties. That quantity is apt to maneuver up or down because the second spherical progresses relying on the course situations and the way gamers are in a position to rating. Final 12 months at Los Angeles Nation Membership, the lower line was +2 (142) and 65 golfers performed the weekend.
Making the lower on the U.S. Open is a notable achievement. The truth is, on the U.S. Open web site (usopen.com), the profile for every participant within the area spotlights their cuts made (and variety of begins) together with their greatest finishes. This 12 months’s 124th version of the championship, the fourth to be contested at Pinehurst, marks the second 12 months in a row and third time general that the USGA accepted over 10,000 entries for the championship. Making the lower as one of many prime 60 is affirmation {that a} participant has handed what’s extensively thought-about the last word examination in golf, as it’s performed on the hardest and most exacting programs. It additionally provides gamers the chance to realize golf immortality with a win and to earn some vital prize cash. In 2023, the winner obtained $3,600,000 and anybody (besides amateurs) who made the lower earned not less than $42,000 (professional gamers who missed the lower obtained $10,000).
One factor in regards to the lower line is that it performs no favorites. Will big-name stars akin to six-time runner-up Phil Mickelson and former U.S. Open champions Jon Rahm and Jordan Spieth make it to the weekend this 12 months at Pinehurst? How about PGA Tour stars Justin Thomas, Rickie Fowler and Tony Finau, or LIV Golf banner carriers Cameron Smith, Patrick Reed, and previous champions Dustin Johnson and Bryson DeChambeau? Will obscure PGA Tour grinders Adam Schenk and New Zealander Ryan Fox make the lower? Every little thing might be decided by the efficiency of the sector over the championship’s first two rounds.
Historical past of the U.S. Open format and lower line (1895-present)
1895-1897 Stroke play, at some point of 36-hole competitors. No lower.
1898-1903 Stroke play, two days of 36-hole competitors. No lower.
1904-1913 Stroke play, two days of 36-hole competitors; area lower after 36 holes.
1914-1916 Stroke play, two days of 36-hole competitors (no championships, 1917-1918). No lower.
1919 Stroke play, two days of 18-hole competitors, at some point of 36-hole competitors; area lower after 36 holes to 64 lowest scorers and all these tied for sixty fourth place.
1920-1925 Stroke play, two days of 36-hole competitors. No lower.
1926-1947 Stroke play, two days of 18-hole competitors, at some point of 36-hole competitors; area lower after 36 holes to 60 lowest scorers and all these tied for sixtieth place (no championships, 1942-45).
1948-1964 Identical format; however area lower after 36 holes to 50 lowest scorers and all these tied for fiftieth place.
1965 Stroke play, 4 days of 18-hole competitors; area lower after 36 holes to the 50 lowest scorers and all these tied for fiftieth place.
1966-1971 Area lower after 36 holes to 60 lowest scorers and all these tied for sixtieth place.
1972-2011 Area lower after 36 holes to 60 lowest scorers and any tying for sixtieth place or anybody inside 10 strokes of the chief.*
2012-present Area lower after 36 holes to 60 lowest scorers and all these tied for sixtieth place.
(Particular due to the USGA Golf Museum and Library for offering this abstract of the event format and the lower line all through historical past.)
Evaluating the lower rule of the 4 main tournaments
How does the highest 60 and ties lower line rule at our nationwide championship examine?
The Masters—The highest 50 gamers and ties on the Masters leaderboard make the 36-hole lower to compete on the weekend. The Masters all the time has the smallest area among the many main championships. In 2024, the lower line was +6. A complete of 60 of the 89 gamers within the area progressed to the ultimate two rounds.
PGA Championship—With a area of 156 gamers, the PGA Championship lower rule is the highest 70 and ties make it to play the weekend. After a really excessive lower (+5) at Oak Hill in 2023, this 12 months’s low scores at Valhalla Golf Membership introduced the lower line to +1. 78 gamers have been on or above the lower line.
Open Championship—The low 70 scorers and ties from the sector of 156 get to play all 4 rounds of the Open Championship. In 2023 at Royal Liverpool Golf Membership, the lower line was +3 and 76 gamers superior to the weekend.
U.S. Open lower strains from the current previous
2023: 142 (+2), Los Angeles Nation Membership, North Course
2022: 143 (+3), The Nation Membership
2021: 146 (+4), Torrey Pines, South Course
2020: 146 (+6), Winged Foot Golf Membership
2019: 144 (+2), Pebble Seashore Golf Hyperlinks
2018: 148 (+8), Shinnecock Hills Golf Membership
2017: 145 (+1), Erin Hills
2016: 146 (+6), Oakmont Nation Membership
2015: 145 (+5), Chambers Bay
2014: 145 (+5), Pinehurst Resort & Nation Membership, Course No. 2
Minimize line data in U.S. Open championship historical past
Highest lower line, all-time–183 — Myopia Hunt Membership (1908). No par was designated for this U.S. Open course. 48 golfers from the 84-man area performed the third and fourth rounds.
Highest lower strains, post-World Battle II (to par)
+15 (155)–Olympic Membership, Lake Course (1955).
+14 (154)–Southern Hills (1958).
Lowest lower line (complete)–142 (+2), Los Angeles County Membership, North Course (2023).
Lowest lower line (to par)
+1 (145)–Medinah, No. 3 Course (1990).
+1 (145)–Erin Hills.
Most gamers to make the lower —108–Oakland Hills, South Course (1996).
Oldest participant to make the lower (since World Battle II) –Sam Snead, age 61, at Oakmont in 1973.
Youngest participant to make the lower (since World Battle II) –Beau Hossler, 17 years and three months, on the Olympic Membership, Lake Course in 2012.
A glance again on the 2023 U.S. Open–what number of gamers made the lower?
A complete of 65 gamers made the lower on the 2023 U.S. Open at Los Angeles Nation Membership. Favorable course situations helped produce document scores within the first spherical, highlighted by the 62s shot by Xander Schauffele and Rickie Fowler. The North Course at Los Angeles Nation Membership noticed thrilling shot-making (together with three holes-in one of many brief fifteenth gap), thrilling jostling for place down the stretch on Sunday, and a star-studded closing leaderboard. Wyndham Clark gained his first main, ending at -10, a single stoke forward of Rory McIlroy. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler was alone in third, three strokes behind Clark and one higher than Cameron Smith.
The fifth place finishers at -5 included Tommy Fleetwood, who made the lower on the quantity (+2) however closed with a closing spherical 65, and Rickie Fowler, who led or had a share of the lead in all 4 rounds. Min Woo Lee additionally completed at -5. The youthful brother of LPGA star Minjee, Min Woo Lee was bidding to hitch Minjee as a U.S. Open Champion. They each additionally gained the US Junior Novice championship.
Rising star Tom Kim completed t-8 at -4, whereas Xander Schauffele, Jon Rahm and Dustin Johnson have been amongst these at -3 who completed t-10. Subsequent at -2 was Patrick Cantlay, who had performed Los Angeles County Membership dozens of occasions in school whereas attending UCLA. Patrick Cantlay continued his consecutive streak of ending above the ultimate lower line in each U.S. Open since his first in 2011.
Sam Bennett, the novice sensation on the 2023 Masters, was simply 5 strokes off the lead after the primary two rounds. By ending t-43, Sam Bennett (+5), who had turned skilled, earned $64,582. In the meantime, Gordon Sargent (+4) and Ben Carr (+13) have been the low amateurs, ending t-39 and 62nd, respectively.
Who missed the lower in 2023?
Notable gamers who missed the lower included Phil Mickelson, Justin Thomas, Jason Day, 2013 champion Justin Rose, and Martin Kaymer, the 2014 champion at Pinehurst. Mickelson, searching for to win the one main that has eluded him, posted a promising opening spherical 69 earlier than struggling to a second-round 74 on his 53rd birthday. What befell Justin Thomas, a two-time winner of the PGA Championship, was even worse. After a primary spherical 73, he ballooned to an 81 and missed the lower badly.
The 2024 U.S. Open at Pinehurst — what’s your wager?
The return of one other main to Pinehurst No. 2, a historic course that anybody can play and that anchors a traditional resort in a village often known as “the American St Andrews,” is certain to generate unbelievable pleasure. As of this writing, effectively over half of the spots within the championship’s 156-man area are nonetheless up for grabs. Native qualifying concluded on Might twentieth, setting the stage for closing sectional qualifying on June third. The highway to Pinehurst will finally be full of many unfamiliar names together with many PGA TOUR gamers who haven’t already secured their spot.
The chances-on favourite to win the championship is Scottie Scheffler, adopted by Rory McIlroy. Whereas wagering on the winner is the place many of the cash might be positioned, a lot of the betting enjoyable comes from prop bets. Predicting the lower line is simply one of many various wagers you’ll be capable of get in on. Different fashionable prop bets embody whether or not there might be a hole-in-one, the nationality of the winner, the margin of victory, the highest LIV Golf finisher, the primary spherical chief, whether or not sure gamers end within the prime 10 or 20, who comes out on prime in particular pairings throughout any explicit spherical, and lots of extra.
The place the lower line will fall is all the time fascinating as a result of it will possibly change all of the sudden and has an influence on so many gamers. How will the lower line this 12 months examine to 2014, the final time the championship was contested on Pinehurst No. 2, when it was 145 (+5)? One factor is for certain–the lower line at this 12 months’s U.S. Open may have lots of people on edge because the second spherical attracts to a detailed. Convey it on!