The first time I played Merion I also played Sand Hills, Pine Valley, Aronomink and walked Hidden Creek. Merion ate me up and I thought it was too tough and came away deflated....and stunned by how the rough was IMHO ruining the strategy of the course...rough being on the inside of many of the "fairway" bunkers.
I then came back and played it together with one of my good friends off this board and really, really started to love it. I think the rough had been taken out a little and I really appreciated the angles of the fairways off the tee. I also played Pine Valley again in the same week but would put Merion higher on my list due to the strategy of the holes compared to Pine Valley.
Now I am going to make a statement that might get me shot down but I feel a player on their "A" game (especially if they are driving well) can rip Pine Valley apart but I don't feel that is still quite possible at Merion due to the angles of the fairways. I still feel you are going have to "work" the ball during tournament play especially if the main man gets the fairways running firm and fast.
I would love to hear what Tom Paul has to say about my opinions.
Outside of the Molinari final round in the 2005 US Am, I haven't seen anyone really rip either course apart. I will say that to really appreciate the greatness of both courses, you need to play them when they are firm and fast. It makes a huge difference and in my opinion, even more so at Pine Valley.
I can't say I'd agree with your strategy comment. While I love both courses, in regard to comparing strategy between PV and Merion, I think there are more strategic options at Pine Valley than there are at Merion. With the narrow fairways at Merion and the very penal rough, the options are somewhat limited...Get the ball in the fairway or else is the primary strategy. I'm not saying there aren't any strategic options, I'm just saying with the current setup of the course, most of the options a player faces are a question of what club can I get in the fairway as opposed to what hazards do I want to challenge, what area of the fairway gives the best line for an approach or how aggressive a line for a tee shot can I take?
I think overall from tee to green and from hole to hole, the golfer faces more strategic choices or options at Pine Valley. I don't mean for this to be a knock on Merion, it's an awesome place. Probably the most difficult course for it's yardage that I've ever played. It's just a different test than Pine Valley and one that is hard to compare.
PS. One thing I will say after seeing the setup of Merion for the Walker Cup is that if there is an option to be had or a way to make the golfer think, Mike Davis of the USGA will find it. He does a great job of moving tees around and altering the day to day setup of tournaments.