Thanks for the comments. Both of you have played the hole many more times than I, but I'm going to disagree with you. I am perfectly willing to change my mind after more rounds at BB and hearing more of your views.
Robert, I think the strategy of the hole is that there is a continuum of options off the tee. I think the decision is much more complicated than you have stated. Given the demanding nature of the approach uphill to a firm green, the second shot is exponentially harder the longer it is. At the same time, the fairway grows significantly harder to hit the further you try to hit your tee shot. Given the thick rough and the chances of funny lies in the bunker complexes on both sides, the tee shot really is a risk-reward opportunity. This, Matt, is what I believe to be the merit of the hole.
A few years ago I hit the green hot and found the fescue and 7 to finish tied for 28th instead of 12th in the NY Open.
Robert, I think you have illustrated some of the strategy involved. Had you successfully hit a longer club off the tee, you would not have had this problem. If you leave yourself too far back, you find a more difficult second and leave this outcome as a possibility.
p.s. To you second post -- the added bunkers are clutter for the sake of C-L-U-T-T-E-R. Would have been better off simply having a solitary bunker right in the middle of the fairway placed from 230 to 290 yards.
I'm not sure that clutter is their only purpose. I'm sure Rees likes the visual appeal. They also serve to add volatility to missed tee shots. You might have a clean lie or you might be in the fescue or up against a lip.
I don't agree about the middle solitary bunker. This design would leave 4 discrete options: left, right, long, or short. I much prefer the many options currently present. As an aside, I think this feature would be better utilized on the 15th (already a very good hole). If you widened the fairway to the left and then place a large bunker or set of bunkers in the center, you could create some interesting options off the tee. Presumably one could design it such that right or short of the bunker were safer but left longer approaches than challenging the narrower left side.