Tim,
What fate has Merion suffered? 325 players in the US Amateur and 6 shoot 1 under. That with some of the easiest pin placements possible, only medium-fast greens and rough that was not that difficult to recovery from. After all, they had to get a lot of golfers around that course. The course was not at its length limits, nor anything near the setup demands seen at the Hugh Wilson or member-guest rounds. I've never been to Cypress Point, so I have no comment about there, but Merion has not suffered a fate that I am aware of. In any case, let's at least wait till it is proven. The Walker Cup next year should give us a further inkling.
If the course is dry and the conditions favorable for firm and fast, you are not going to see overall low scores. The way Merion is designed, a couple of players might shoot a low score on one day, but not on all four days. That's the way it has always been in national tournament play. I don't think it will be any different in the 2013 Open. If the course is soft, it will suffer the fate of all courses, no matter how long. The best players will go low if it is played under hit and stick conditions. The bunkers are not good misses unlike most courses. The greens, if firm and fast, will require precision play rarely seen on other designs. The subtle interplays of changing slopes are hard to read, for even the best players. It is so easy to lose strokes on and around the greens.
For the sake of transparency, I can be accused of bias. It isn't true...but I can be accused
