Merion Golf Club shows it is an above-par site for a major

FORMER USGA executive director David Fay, one of the people primarily responsible for bringing the U.S. Open back to Merion's East Course after a 32-year absence, probably put it best a few months back, when asked whether this would necessarily be the last national championship held in Ardmore.

"Assuming the club wants it, and we always have to ask them because it might be too much of a hardship to go through, but if it plays out the way those of us who are fans of the club and the course think, hopefully there could be another one," he insisted. "But that goes back to, if you didn't have that attitude, then you shouldn't be there in the first place. That doesn't make sense."

Everyone knew there were going to be many more logistical issues than usual. So sacrifices had to be made, in large part because you're dealing with a place that's built on a little more than 100 acres. In today's world, that simply isn't supposed to compute. But it did, because the USGA was willing to put only 25,000 fans out there instead of the 45,000 or so who will be showing up next year at Pinehurst (N.C.) No. 2. There was a lot less room for corporate hospitality, which accounts for a lot of the bottom line, as well. And of the many championships the USGA conducts, this is the only one that makes money. So it has to support a lot of other expenses. The USGA knew this year the Open was basically going to be a break-even proposition. Yet it was still willing to assume that burden for one reason: It was Merion, which has hosted more USGA events than any other club. And that history includes Bobby Jones, Ben Hogan and Lee Trevino. At some point, the USGA wasn't willing to turn its back on that any longer. There's something to be said for that, despite the obstacles.

This Open wouldn't have happened had Merion not received help from Haverford College and many of its neighbors, most of whom rented out their backyards to make it all work. Who knows whether they'd be willing to do it again? And the players' driving range and locker-room facilities had to be put on the West Course, a little more than a mile away on Ardmore Avenue. That's hardly ideal. But there have been situations at other majors that weren't overly conducive, either. Sure, there were complaints. But not too many. At least not for public consumption. And they did seem to really like the course, a course that a whole generation of players and fans had never seen. And in the end, that's what should count most.

I heard some obvious grumblings from the media, which is to be expected. We've all been there. But the truth is, nobody cares what the media has to go through, or thinks about it. And maybe they shouldn't. It's become a common theme at almost every big-time event. It's not about the media any more, or at least not the print version. Was it harder to do our jobs last week? Yes. But somehow, we figured it out. We usually do.

Merion is an absolute treasure. It was my favorite course before the Open. Nothing that went down altered my perspective. In fact, seeing the best players on the food chain try to navigate it only enhanced my opinion of just how special it is. All we kept hearing was that a 7,000-yard course wouldn't possibly stand up. Particularly after it absorbed all that rain.

Yet, Justin Rose's winning score was 1-over-par 281, the same score Webb Simpson had last year to win at the Olympic Club. In other words, the same as a lot of U.S. Opens. I certainly wouldn't have thought that these guys would shoot eight worse than David Graham did in 1981. And I wasn't alone. But the layout pretty much dominated. The way the USGA and Fay's successor, Mike Davis, set it up had plenty to do with that. And some notable players suggested they might have gone too far on certain holes. Fair enough. But we've heard that at Winged Foot, Shinnecock Hills and Oakmont, so that criticism is by no means limited to Merion.

The Open is supposed to be hard, in every way. It's the longest week on the golf calendar. The rough is penal, the fairways narrow, the greens slick. And it's the one time all year that they have to play something like that. Yes, it can be painful to watch. But it's not the Masters. This major is littered with train wrecks. And that's not changing anytime soon. You know the ground rules going in.

That all being said, Merion should host a future Open. Once every 15 years or so, everyone should be able to suck it up. If they had shot 15-under, maybe you think twice. Because you don't want it to be a joke, even though that wouldn't have changed my opinion of Merion.

If 30 guys had broken par, it still would have been the sixth-ranked course in America. But it was nice to see it bare some teeth. And there's nothing wrong with having a different kind of Open, as long as you don't try to do it too often. Yes, they got lucky with the weather, both on Thursday and Sunday. But they also got a bad break on the Friday and Monday before it started. Maybe the next time, it will play hard and fast from the get-go. That might be interesting. But it's comforting to know that even if that's again not the case, it won't necessarily be a disaster waiting to happen.

The USGA loves celebrations. Well, 2024 is the 100th anniversary of Jones winning the first of his five U.S. Amateurs at Merion. And 2030, of course, is the 100th anniversary of him completing his still unprecedented grand slam at his last Am. So the timeline progression seems to fit. How about a seventh Amateur in 2024, followed by a sixth Open 6 years later? With maybe something else before then. It's hard to argue with logic.

Tiger Woods will be 48 in 2024, and 54 in 2030. But he still could be the favorite. As long as he qualifies.