Bart,
How long are the closing holes at Sunningdale? If I remember correctly from my reading, they are all long par fours, no? I was thinking about this at Merion (East) as well: you finish with a monster par three sandwiched into between two bruising par fours, all of which are cool holes but none of which are particularly strategic.
I guess I'd like see more variety in finishing stretches. I loved watching the finish at Greenbrier today: an difficult long par four with some strategy off the tee, a short par five (for those guys), and a short par three. There were blowups, great swings of fortune, a close finish, and, ultimately, two great shots by the eventual winner. On the other hand, these bruising finishes seem produce death marches, which are boring as hell.
Great finishing stretches? How about Garden City! A great mid-length par four at 16, a short par five at 17 with a nervy tee shot, and a brilliant Eden Hole par three finish, right in front of the clubhouse. Strategy, variety, drama in the club tournaments. Prestwick, with two drivable par fours (one, 18, has a feature that was the direct inspiration for much of Pete Dye's early work) and the Alps. Most importantly, my beloved Deal has a grand finish: a short par five with a brilliant green site, a shorter par four with wild undulations and a great green, and the bunker-free but brutal 18th, finishing with a vast plateau green.
Variety, strategy, and drama: these are three things I look for, but don't often see, in a finishing stretch.