It's my understanding that PJ Boatwright was the man who is responsible for the tough Open setup brand. Tom Meeks followed him and implemented his "theology" of difficulty being the best way to "identify the best player". Some would argue that this sort of setup better identifies the "luckiest" or "pluckiest" player or the best driver and nerviest putter of the week. The USGA has softened its approach on an episodic basis in the past ten years or so, but in general, they try to supply a stern piece of ground to play upon. Witness the brick hard surfaces at Shnny, Pebble and Pinehurst, as an example. Weather neutralized Congressional to some extent and the players just killed the course. At Olympia, where the USGA cut our seven-inch rough on the Tuesday before play began in the face of a soft golf course with weather projections for more moisture coming, players just beat up the course for 36 holes, but when the weather changed and the course firmed up, the scores went up as well, with only three players breaking par for the whole week. Despite that, Olympia got panned for being too easy, a fate that would never befall Merion, the USGA's shrine of sorts, even if they wind up with record low scoring all four days in a row. I say this without resentment, it's just the way it is.