For most experienced bowlers the only thing they really need to know is the length of the buff and the overall oil volume.  Not everyone would play the patterns the same as I do, but generally I would play the Cheetah, Viper, and some of the short Kegel patterns in the same area.  Longer patterns get trickier because a lot starts to depend on what the track area of the surface is like. 

In short I want to know the buff length because it gives me a good starting point.  As far as names go, I think they have tweaked the named patterns a couple of times.  I know I always liked the shark, but hit it twice in two different houses last summer and it didn't transition at all like what I was expecting based on past experience.   

That is what happened in Houston, They bowled on brand new synthetic lanes. I am thinking that is what made the difference. 

To answer your original question, I think it has helped the game to post the patterns as then everyone has the same information.  Before they were posted some people would find out and others wouldn't.  And it's especially helpful if flying anywhere.

Where was this tournament held?
 
I know in the past, the Non-Champions event was held at Del-Mar lanes. I know it was on Cheetah one year when I bowled in it. Now Del-Mar were not  brand new at the time, but they weren't "old" either. Cheetah there played outside like it was supposed to, but it didn't have a huge dry area either. That house used to put a shot down to play the track, with a little OOB on the outside. That "memory" remained even with the Cheetah pattern on the lanes. It made dry boards not so dry and you had to play straigher up the outside because the ball wouldn't "snap" back from the gutter. Which worked ok for me, I like to play straighter and I did very well that year, lol.
 
Also remember, they changed the Cheetah pattern last year, I believe (or maybe the year before that). It plays a little tougher than the one that was out for the 3-4 years prior to that. Went back to being closer to the original PBA short oil pattern, when it was called E, I think (the patterns were just letters back then A, B, C, D, and E). So the oil/dry line is much steeper, meaning you hit 1, 2, or 3 and the ball hooks dead left, you hit 5 and you leave a washout (a little bit of an exaggeration but you get my point). This will help lower the scores a little on Cheetah as well.  And as far as playing them correctly, I have bowled in probably a handful of Regionals, and in each one the same is true. People will play all over the lanes, some where they are "supposed" to play and some in other areas. This will always be true. But i'd say that 95 out of 100 times, the bowlers that make it to second day and the finals are the ones playing where they are "supposed" to play.
 
Sorry for the long winded response, but to now answer the OP question, I think knowing has helped. In any tournament there will always be someone who knows the pattern. I can't speak for the New Mexico Open, but I bet there were 1 or 2 players who are local, friends with the lane man, or the pro shop, who knew something about the pattern ahead of time. By publishing the pattern, or using one that is already out there, everyone starts with the same information. The skill of the bowlers will make the difference. And not just physical skill, but mental skill as well. How well they can take the knowledge of the pattern and use that to deduce where and how to play the lanes. Just like any sport, you need to develop your mental game as well as your physical game in bowling as well.