32 players and ties make the cut at the Cedar Rapids Open in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. I posted an underwhelming 1-under through 36 holes at Hunters Ridge Golf Course, finishing my second round on the cut line in the morning tee time wave. With the wind blowing and the pins tucked, this meant I’d be watching the leaderboard all afternoon with hope and trepidation.
“When will you know if you made the cut?” My wife asks on the phone.
“It’s going to be close. Probably not until the final group comes in,” I reply.
Hours later, the sun is low in the sky, there are three groups on the course, and four players who can move the cut. 1-under is T29, so I (and everyone else at 1-under) just need one of them to shoot even par or worse. Two of them finish under par for the day, leaving the final two players at 1-under in the last group. If only one of them breaks par, I get to play one more round and recoup my entry fee. If both players shoot under par, I’ll be heading home empty-handed, having spent nearly $2,000. Pros and gamblers call this “sweating the cut.” I’ve sweated the cut on nearly every tour in the world, but sweating the cut at the Cedar Rapids Open is not where you want to find yourself.
