Golf Leaderboard Symbols: What E, Thru, F, T and WD Mean
By Erdi Doğan, owner and editor ·
On a golf leaderboard, E means even par, a minus number such as −4 means four under par, and a plus number means over par. Thru shows how many holes a player has completed in the current round, and F means they have finished it. T before a position means tied, WD withdrew, DQ disqualified and MC missed the cut. The table below lists every symbol you are likely to see on TV, in apps and on club scoreboards. For how par itself works, see what par means or the golf scoring guide.
Leaderboard symbols and abbreviations
| Symbol | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| E | Even par: total strokes equal par for the holes played | 72 on a par-72 course |
| −3 (or 3 in red) | Three under par | 69 on a par-72 course |
| +2 | Two over par | 74 on a par-72 course |
| Thru 12 | Has completed 12 holes of the current round | Player is on the 13th hole |
| F | Finished the round | "−4 F" = round over at 4 under |
| Thru F / F* | Finished; an asterisk often means the player started on the 10th tee | Split-tee starts |
| Tee time (e.g. 1:40 PM) | Has not started the round yet | Shown instead of Thru |
| T5 | Tied for 5th place | Several players share the position |
| WD | Withdrew from the tournament | Injury, illness or personal reasons |
| DQ | Disqualified | Signed a wrong scorecard, for example |
| MC / CUT | Missed the cut after round 2 | Player does not play the weekend |
| MDF | Made the cut but did not finish (an older PGA Tour rule for very large cuts) | Rare |
| a or (a) | Amateur | Amateurs cannot accept prize money |
| R1, R2, R3, R4 | Scores for each round | R1 68 = 68 in round one |
| TOT / Total | Total strokes for the tournament | 275 over four rounds |
| Today | Score relative to par in the current round only | Today −2, total −7 |
| Proj. / Projected | Projected cut line or projected finish while play continues | "Projected cut +1" |
Why scores are shown relative to par
During a round, players are on different holes, so total strokes do not compare well: one player may have played 14 holes and another only 5. Showing each score against par for the holes played puts everyone on the same scale. A player who is −3 thru 5 is doing better, so far, than one who is −2 thru 14.
Reading a live leaderboard: an example
Take a line like T4 · Player · −6 · Today −2 · Thru 11. The player is tied for 4th, six under par for the tournament, two under par in today's round, and has played 11 holes of it. When the round ends, "Thru 11" becomes F and "Today" becomes their score for the round.
Colors and shapes on scorecards
TV graphics and apps use a common shorthand on hole-by-hole scorecards: a circle marks a birdie, a double circle an eagle, a square a bogey and a double square a double bogey or worse. Under-par numbers are often shown in red. The names behind those marks are explained in birdie, bogey, eagle and every other score name.
Frequently asked questions
What does E mean in golf?
Even par: the player's strokes equal par for the holes they have played.
What does Thru mean in golf?
The number of holes the player has completed in the current round. "Thru 9" means they have finished nine holes.
What does F mean on a golf leaderboard?
The player has finished the round.
What does W/D mean in golf?
Withdrew: the player left the tournament before finishing, often because of injury or illness.
Back to the golf scoring guide.