61, 62, 63.
When you see these numbers enough times over a two-day span, it likely means there’ll be some carnage at the 36-hole cut. And such is the case outside of Dallas this weekend, where half the field at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson is closing its trunk in dismay. How is finishing 5 under not good enough?
Yes, it’s shocking. But that is the projected cut at TPC Craig Ranch. If it holds, it will be the lowest a cut line has been in 2026 on the PGA Tour.
And it’s directly correlated to the three 62s and counting that have been carded at TPC Craig Ranch. Sungjae Im has a 61, and Brooks Koepka and Taylor Moore each have first-round 63s. Si Woo Kim is 9 under on his second round with six holes remaining and expects to factor in somewhere — quite possibly the Tour record for an individual round (which is Jim Furyk’s 58).
If Kim gets in with a 6-under 65 or lower, he will be the 17th player with such a mark during Friday’s Round 2 birdie fest. Shooting a 65 is worthy of celebration, right? Not for Nick Dunalp and William Sides who missed the cut despite going 6 under and bogey free on their respective back nines.
It’s not every tournament where you can move up more than 50 spots on the leaderboard in a single day (like Dunlap and Sides did Friday) and still miss the weekend.
But such is the story this week at the Byron Nelson.