Here's something I don't understand too: so the whole purpose is to put a premium on shot making and therefore I'd imagine making the bunker and its surrounds more penal...
THEN WHY THE HECK ARE THEY MAKING IT BIGGER? Their plan is to expand the bunker, thereby diminishing (if I've interpreted countless stories, pictures, and hours of television coverage correctly) what makes that bunker so challenging in the first place. Doesn't the fact there is often a good chance that the ball will end up near the face of the bunker and force a player to play away from the hole make it great? Wouldn't adding more opportunites (i.e. sand) give the golfer a greater chance of being able to recover without penalty?
Perhaps someone can weigh in on this aspect, but if the contours gather the ball into the bunker, then why do they need to make the footprint bigger?
-Alex