Texas Children's Houston Open

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#20 Rule 78

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For Martin Laird the scrapping of Rule 78 was pivotal.

A hot topic on the PGA Tour was a new rule whereby if more than 78 players made a cut, the field was reduced to the score with the number of pros nearest 70th place. Players balked; in late February the rule was dumped. Had it been retained, eight events and 128 players would have been affected (but only Adam Scott, at the Wachovia, recorded a top-10). For Martin Laird, however, the scrapping of Rule 78 was pivotal. At the Frys.com Open he used the two extra rounds to jump to T-34 and earn a check for $23,666—a key payday considering he gained the 125th (and final) fully exempt spot by $11,504.