Whether it would be more interesting and challenging to even the world's best players if Merion took ALL their fairways back out to what they once were (designed to be) or just put them in a US Open narrowness I think is one of the most fascinating comparative case studies anywhere. (and I'd even like to go through some of the holes and explain exactly why).
I really do think a good and intelligent case could be made either way, and that's amazing.
The real problem for an association like the USGA holding an Open there is simply if they presented that course with all its original fairway width and fairway acreage and the course was soft and receptive those guys would kill it with original fairway widths but if they got lucky with the weather and could produce the degree of firm and fast both "through the green" and on those greens that course should have with an IMM for an Open both the players and all of us, I very much believe, would be in for a treat of the best of the old and the best of the new beyond our wildest imaginations.
If they presented the course with all that original fairway acreage and got their ideal F&F (IMM) too I think we would see some memorable disasters along with perhaps some of the most heroic shot successes in the annals of championship tournament golf.
In my opinion, this is the real beauty and the true nuance of Merion East!!
The only true X factor and potential snake-in-the-grass is the weather and what it might do to the course "in play" on tournament week.
I don't have any influence on Merion or the USGA but if I did, and assuming this very well may be the last US Open the course will ever hold, if I had a lot of say, I'd present that course with its original fairway acreage and just hope for the best with the weather.
If the weather cooperated, again, I think everyone would be in for something truly memorable (again the best of the old and the best of the new tested for once). But if the weather didn't cooperate the course would get crucified by some in scoring, but then I'd just say, so what? Blame it all on Mother Nature!
Frankly, I hear the USGA is considering keeping meticulous records of weather factors during future US Opens so maybe even they are thinking of some new restorative wrinkles and if they are blowouts in relation to scoring, well, just blame it all on Mother Nature, and not on something like advanced I&B technologies!!