John-- He has had some success or he would not have been there, although he clearly was not one of the "favorities".
His "outburst" was uncalled for and cursing tied with public critism of the course(overheard at the scoreboard by all in the vicinity), was grounds for sanctions--
That being said however, I am not sure that the mentality of the current "high level" player(those that compete for national amatuer championships and the collegians) don't harbor similar sentiments--
If they can not "have a go" at every par 5 and are forced, if they believe they have hit a good drive, to put "lay-up" in the equation they then believe they are looking at an inferior design or set up--
They can accept lay up after a poor drive, or they can even accept a brute of a par 5 where virtually no one can reach in two, but they believe if they hit driver off the tee they should not then be challenged by a difficult risk/reward second on par 5s--One where the choice is a fairway wood or a layup with a short iron==(I think-my game does not approach that level)
I'd be very surprised if there were more than just a couple of elite-level amateurs who feel this way about the par 5's, although it might seem that way as a tournament administrator. Almost by definition, elite competitors are the ones who take what the course/setup gives them and find a way to get it in with fewer shots than anyone else. The ones who complain almost always lack that mentality (they complain themselves right out of the tournament), or are playing so poorly that they feel only a certain course/setup will suit their game.
For the last 14 years I have been involved with amateur golf as a college player, amateur player in inter/national tournaments, as a college coach, and as a tournament director in junior golf and college, and I have NEVER heard what I would consider to be high-level amateur player complain about such a trivial thing the way your player did. Oh, sure, there have been a few pins here and there that were criticized, but the criticism was almost always given quietly and matter-of-factly (no one wants to let themselves be bothered by anything while competing), and most times it never reaches the tournament committee's ears. The real complainers are almost always the middle-of-the-road players who lack the physical or mental versalility to adjust to different or unfamiliar conditions.
The only time I have ever heard a winner complain loudly about the course/setup was on the PGA Tour when Scott Hoch won the Greensboro tournament a few years ago; he complained the whole week about how the rough was too short, favoring the long hitters and taking the importance off of straight driving, and then he went out and shot -18 or so and won the tournament!