What Does MDF Stand For In Golf Scores?

What Does MDF Stand For In Golf Scores? .

What Does MDF Stand For In Golf Scores?

Close observers of PGA TOUR leaderboards may occasionally notice the acronym MDF in place of either a position number, the word CUT or MC (missed cut).

MDF stands for Made the cut but did not finish. 

A player who Made the cut but did not finish was not allowed to complete the tournament due to a crowded field, even though he technically made the cut. Players who finished MDF still receive their share of FedEx Cup Points and Prize Money.

The idea of MDF status is to pare down the field for the final round. The PGA TOUR believes that for television, as well as fans on the course and tournament organizers, seventy players is the ideal number. Accordingly, the usual 54-hole cut is the top 70, plus ties. However, with ties, the field on occasion balloons to 78 or more.

Prior to the MDF rule, fields sometimes were so large that weekends saw players in threesomes teeing off both sides of the course.

When faced with a larger-than-desirable weekend field of 78 or more, the PGA TOUR institutes a second, 54-hole cut. Notice in the photo above that the MDF golfers completed three of four rounds.

Some variant of the MDF rule has been in place since 2008. Initially, the Friday cut line was adjusted to pare the field closer to 60. However, players who were in that 70-and-ties category were outraged by losing the opportunity to make a move up the leaderboard on Saturday. The TOUR changed the rule to a 54 hole cut a month later.

The MDF rule is not without controversy. While it is highly unlikely that a player in the 70th position can win, given the right circumstances, they could significantly improve their position. That would result in a larger paycheck and more FedEx cup points.

What Does MDF Stand For In Golf Scores? first appeared on GolfBlogger.Com

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