"You don't want the members to have to play U.S. Open fairway widths for six years"

From Joe Logan, writing about Merion's 2013 U.S. Open preparation:

Two tees will be moved. At No. 2, a 535-yard uphill par 5, the tee will be moved up 20 to 25 yards. The move is mainly to create space between the current tee at No. 2 and the nearby 10th green, but it is also to make an unreachable par 5 reachable in 2.

The tee at the 14th hole, a 408-yard par 4, will be moved back 20 to 30 yards, making the hole tougher but, more importantly, creating badly needed space around the adjacent 18th green, where grandstands must go. (The practice putting green behind the current 14th tee will also be moved back.)

Several fairways will also be narrowed slightly, or recontoured, mostly to undo what Davis called a "serpentine" effect.

"The USGA is not keen on pinched fairways at, say, 240 yards or 280 yards, to penalize short hitters or long hitters," Davis said.

For Merion members, who have called in respected architect Tom Fazio to handle the work, the question is one of timing. Davis recently told the club that it would be nice if the changes were made by 2009, providing a sort of test run when Merion hosts the Walker Cup. But the USGA is not adamant about that timetable.

"You don't want the members to have to play U.S. Open fairway widths for six years," Davis said. "Why should they be subjected to that?"