Xander Schauffele Barely Makes the Cut at Arnold Palmer Invitational, Keeps Streak Alive

The double major winner continued his lead on the tour by making his 58th straight cut after a challenging round at Bay Hill on Friday.

Xander Schauffele’s spirits were not lifted by his bogey on the last hole, nor by the earlier double bogeys. Nonetheless, there were silver linings in his performance at the Bay Hill Club on Friday, notably his qualification for the weekend rounds.

Schauffele routinely making the cut has become almost expected, as he hasn’t missed a 36-hole cut on the PGA Tour since the 2022 Masters.

With a score of one-under-par 71 in the second round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational, Schauffele extended his Tour-leading cut streak to 58 consecutive cuts—the longest streak since Tiger Woods’ record of 142 straight cuts from 1998 to 2005.

“It’s definitely a cool achievement,” commented Schauffele, who is in only his second tournament of the year following a two-month hiatus due to a rib injury. “I make it a point to keep pushing. Despite a couple of doubles putting me in a tough spot, it was an easy time to lose patience.

He is 12 strokes behind the leader Shane Lowry, who carded a 67 on Friday and stands eight under par after two rounds.

“I had mentioned earlier in the week that I need to find a special mindset to play decent golf, so I really had to dig deep,” Schauffele explained. “It was good practice, and Austin (Kaiser, his caddie) and I are certainly proud of our cut streak. It’s not our main focus, but focusing on winning usually results in making a lot of cuts and finishing well.”

Kaiser humorously remarked that Schauffele has about four years to catch up to Woods, which isn’t too far from the truth.

At 58 consecutive cuts, Schauffele is now sixth in the all-time ranking, behind legends such as Woods, Byron Nelson (113), Jack Nicklaus (105), Hale Irwin (86), and Dow Finsterwald (72). Tom Kite was the last before Woods and Schauffele to reach 50 consecutive cuts, making 53 straight in the early 1980s.

Scottie Scheffler made his 48th consecutive cut at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

After a disappointing 77 in the opening round, which included a streak of five bogeys, Schauffele showed a turnaround on Friday, playing the first nine holes three under par.

A ball in the water at the 11th led to a double bogey, followed by two poor chips on the 12th for another double. He bounced back with birdies on the subsequent two holes and finished at 4 over par, right on the cut line.

“I was on a bit of a roll,” he said. “I was hitting some great shots and sinking some putts. Then I miscalculated some really basic things, took unnecessary risks, or just made a really bad swing, along with some poor execution around the greens on the par-5. It turned out to be a stressful yet redeeming day for me.”

Woods’s record of 142 consecutive made cuts included 31 tournaments without a 36-hole cut. His streak ended when he missed the cut by one stroke at the 2005 Byron Nelson Championship.

To date, Schauffele has participated in 19 events without a cut, including the Sentry in January.

The two-time major champion, who clinched both the PGA and British Open last year, lags in his preparations for next month’s Masters, having missed at least four tournaments he would typically have played.

Understandably, he might have been concerned about making the cut.

For larger tournaments like major championships, a cut after 36 holes helps to manage weekend play more efficiently. During most of Woods’s career, players needed to be among the top 70 and ties to make the cut, a rule the PGA Tour has since adjusted to the top 65 and ties.

The Masters, as a smaller-field major, cuts to the top 50 and ties. The PGA Championship typically cuts to 70 and ties, and the U.S. Open to 60 and ties.

Of the PGA Tour’s eight Signature events, the Genesis, Arnold Palmer, and Memorial cut to the top 50 and ties.

While Schauffele wasn’t overly congratulatory about making the cut, considering where he’s been and his journey back from injury, it was a commendable feat, especially after such a tough initial round.

“I’m feeling good physically,” he noted. “Mentally, I’m okay, still working on it. My goal was just to make it to the weekend so I can play two more rounds of golf. I just need as much golf as I can get.”

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