Is There a Cut at the American Express 2026? Why Is the Format Different Than Other PGA Tour Events?

The 54-hole cut was once standard for multi-course pro-ams. Pebble Beach used it. So did the old Bob Hope Desert Classic. Now only one tournament remains.

The American Express operates on a different clock. Yes, there is a cut — top 65 and ties — but it arrives after 54 holes, not 36. The reason is structural: three courses demand it. The field of 156 professionals rotates through PGA West’s Pete Dye Stadium Course, the Nicklaus Tournament Course, and La Quinta Country Club across the first three days. Every player faces every venue before a single name gets crossed off the leaderboard.

A 36-hole cut would introduce draw bias — penalizing those who drew the Stadium Course twice while rewarding those who opened on the more forgiving La Quinta layout. The extension to 54 holes neutralizes that variance. Competitive equity, enforced by logistics.

The three-course format started as a tradition but became a structural savior for large-field events, prior coverage noted. When Jay Monahan announced field reductions for FedEx Cup events in October 2024, The American Express earned an exemption. The three-venue split allows 156 players to complete rounds without the delays that would plague a single-course setup.

Through two rounds, the format’s birdie-friendly nature is on full display. Scottie Scheffler and 18-year-old Blades Brown share the lead at 17-under — Scheffler with back-to-back bogey-free rounds of 63-64, Brown with a stunning second-round 60 on the Nicklaus Course. Rickie Fowler sits T6 at 14-under after firing a 9-under 63 on Friday. He hadn’t competed since the BMW Championship five months ago. Three bogeys in a four-hole stretch cost him on Day 1; the Nicklaus Course let him recover. That’s the architecture working as designed.

Sunday changes everything. The amateurs — 156 of them, playing their own ball alongside professionals for three days — exit after Saturday. The pro-am competition concludes at 54 holes. The final round belongs exclusively to professionals, all competing on the Stadium Course. No six-hour rounds. Just stroke play on Pete Dye’s most demanding desert design, with $1.656 million waiting for the winner.

That structure once had company. It doesn’t anymore.

Why American Express stands alone after Pebble Beach’s Signature Event shift

The AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am shared this DNA for decades. Three courses. Full-field pro-am through Saturday. A 54-hole cut separates contenders from the eliminated. Then came 2024.

Pebble Beach’s elevation to Signature Event status restructured everything. The field shrank from 156 to 80 professionals. Monterey Peninsula Country Club disappeared from the rotation. The cut vanished entirely — Signature Events guarantees all players four rounds regardless of score. The tournament doubled its purse to $20 million but abandoned the format that defined it.

The American Express absorbed none of those changes. It remains the only full-field event on the 2026 PGA Tour schedule, combining a three-course rotation, a 54-hole cut, and a competitive pro-am running through the weekend’s threshold.

The distinction matters beyond classification. The delayed cut rewards recovery. A player who opens +2 on the Stadium Course — a death sentence at most events — has 36 holes to climb back. Historical cutlines fall between -9 and -12, demanding aggression from the first tee shot. Defensive golf doesn’t survive here.

The format also explains the leaderboard’s behavior. No dotted line appears on Friday evening. No drama at the number until Saturday afternoon. Viewers expecting standard Tour rhythms find confusion. Understanding the architecture resolves it.

One tournament. Three courses. Fifty-four holes before anyone goes home.

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