We should also wait and see how the USGA "tweaks" the stunning restoration. One shudders at the thought.
Bingo - does it have enough length? Will they give it the Merion treatment?
This is part of what is intriguing to me in recent developments with the USGA's course selections and prep. The Merion selection was great, but the consensus was that the prep spoiled some of the nuanced interest that the course could have provided. That being said, that championship was exciting and was won by a solid player making great shots down the stretch. Contrast that with Pinehurst, the prep for which was generally applauded from a GCA perspective. Not as exciting a championship, because of Kaymer's ridiculous performance, but some of the golf was interesting and it did identify the best golfer that week.
My hope is that, as a steward of the game, the USGA will pick up the ball they previously dropped (bad pun intended) and focus on a) maximizing interest and b) setting up the course to identify the best golfer, in the broadest possible definition of "best". They have an opportunity to ditch the obsession with resistance to scoring and actually lead the game forward with their championship. Ok, I know, not likely, but a girl can hope.
There are some potentially interesting venues on the schedule, LACC included, and I want to see more of them.