There seems to be two concurrent threads on this si I'll post this here too.
No, Brian, it is further back than that
OK, Adam got it. It would be the second one in the foreground of this picture. That one is between 200 to 260 yards from the normal and Open tees. For whom was he widening it out? I don't think a 260 yard carry would be too much for pros unless the wind was in their face. Seems to me it would be more of an issue for the many ams playing the course where a 200 yard carry might be an issue for many. And if they are trying to keep things challenging for the pros, why widen it out there. How out of hand can the rough get for the greenskeepers? Could they not use a fly-mo every once in a while.
I'm a little confused by the quote in your excellent article:
The impetus has come from the greenkeepers it was covered in rough during the 2005 Open, and the result was that almost nobody tried to hit their drive up the right. To create more width, we shaved the bank down in 2010, but it is very steep, and the greens staff have difficulty mowing it at that height.
The first sentence doesn't make sense. If the mound on the left was covered in rough, why did nobody hit their drive up the right. It seems to be a non-sequitur.