Tour's rank-and-file prevail, the tag of "MDF" is doomed to a shelf life as short as the acronym.

For those not up to speed, MDF stands for "made the cut, did not finish" — a terse little monicker for those benched in the PGA Tour's effort to keep weekend play moving.

Most events trim the field after two rounds to 70 players and ties. But if more than 78 players remain, the cut goes up another stroke to make weekend play.

Those in the lurch split last-place money and move on.

"It's a stupid rule," said John Daly, one of the first to get pinched by "Rule 78." He was one of 18 Sony Open entrants given a free weekend when the initial cut yielded a roster of 87.

Two weeks later, 19 pros felt the brunt at the Buick Invitational. Luckily, no one has gotten whacked twice.

A meeting is set for Monday at the Honda Classic, where the tour's policy board will mull a petition to ditch the rule for one imposing a second 70-man cut after three rounds.

A change wouldn't need any time to take effect.

"We were just trying to find a good compromise and I think we have," said Steve Flesch, a member of the tour's 16-man player advisory council.

"Rule 78" was drafted to combat cumbersome weekend fields, especially on the West Coast when daylight and TV windows are at odds. Even with threesomes sent off the first and 10th tees, 7 a.m. starts and long waits were an issue.

No one, though, expected the outcry that arose.

Even when "Rule 78" hasn't kicked in, there's sometimes been a Keystone Kops feel. Last week, Sergio Garcia and Briny Baird were among those already down the L.A. highway, certain of MDFs, when their cellphones started ringing.

John Merrick bogeyed the last hole, setting the cut right at 78 and calling folks back.