Why is 78 the magic number, you might ask? Apparently it had something to do with an independent board member mentioning that he shot a 78 the other day on his home course, and another board member saying, "I'm having the Cobb salad with ranch dressing, what about everyone else?"
There was rampant confusion about the first rule because of this: The board said that if, for example, 80 players made the cut somewhere based on low 70s and ties, and the tour eliminated all the players one stroke below the cutline, and this resulted in 59 players remaining, well, it was obvious that the number 59 was farther away from 70 than 80, so the original 80 would continue to play through the weekend.
This was too much for the pro to keep in mind along with his stance, grip and alignment. It was one of the reasons John Daly said to the Golf Channel, "It's a stupid rule. I'm sorry." But now all the pro has to know is that absolutely nothing changes as long as no more than 78 players make the 36-hole cut.
Here's my favorite part: The guys who make the 36-hole cut but fail to make the 54-hole cut (low 70 and ties) and will not get to play the last round? They will still get paid. Yeah. They'll get the same 10 grand, or whatever last money is, as the guys who play the whole four days.
Think about it. A guy can get eliminated 30 times a year after 54 holes, have his Sundays free to go to a movie, and still make $300,000.
Some would say this beats having to work for a living.
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