...but I've kind of soured on the U.S. Open in general. I'm just tired of the USGA and its egotistical mission to somehow "beat" the players by tip-toeing along the edge between difficult course setup and absurdity. It seems that recently, they often cross that line, either intentionally, or accidentally when they "lose control of the golf course".

I have to imagine that when golf was first created centuries ago, early course designers weren't thinking about building greens that required you to land your ball within a 25 SF area in order to stay on the green. And in my opinion, there should never be a hole location that requires you to sink a putt in order to prevent your ball from rolling off the green. That's stupid, and seems like something you'd encounter at a mini golf tourist trap in Myrtle Beach.

I agree with the OP that this is not what the average golf fan wants to watch. I'm an avid golfer and love watching golf on TV, but even I don't enjoy this - and I understand that it's not due to a lack of talent. Imagine what the average Joe thinks though - he's going to tune in while channel surfing, see ridiculously high scores, and think "these guys stink" and keep on flipping past.

I just don't think this is good for the game of golf, particularly when it comes to generating interest in the game.