Jerry,
In the context of the PGA Tour,
I think that's the accepted mentality of golf fans today.
So much of what's understood by the golfing fan is directly related to what they see on TV, and TV begs for drama, ergo, enter a difficult finishing hole where the drama can unfold and the outcome can change.
I think this concept will take on additional momentum vis a vis the 18th hole at WFW in this year's Open.
With 120-150 professional golfers teeing it up every week, it's highly probable the that outcome will be determined on the last hole, and as such, the viewer prefers to see excitement, and not a walk in the park.
While a birdie can win a hole, there's something more dramatic about disaster, whether it be in the form of water, OB or other hazards, the potential for a big score adds to a wild outcome. Witness the final hole at the British Open at Carnoustie.
As such, I think the TV viewer wants to see a hole that can produce a wide scoring variance, (read agony and ecstasy)
As to the golfer, I think there's a trickle down effect.
Most match play events or matches are OVER by the time the match gets to the 18th hole, so the 18th hole's relevance in the play of a match is diminished in most cases, in fact, it's irrelevant it most cases. Yet, from watching so much TV there's a mind set that the 18th hole should be challenging if not difficult if not diabolical.
I'm not one to buy into that thinking.
If an architect bought into that thinking, wouldn't they have to design the course with the 18th hole being the first hole to be worked on ? To make sure that it was clearly superior in a competitive sense to those holes that come before it ?
I don't know that you'll find many really difficult or diabolical finishing holes amongst the "Golden Age" or "Classic" courses, I think you'd probably find more of them in modern designs, and that they'll become the rule rather than the exception in the future.