AUGUSTA, Ga. — These were just the opening arguments of DeChambeau v. Augusta National, not the rendering of a verdict. DeChambeau played worse than expected, but scored better than he played: a two-under 70 in prime scoring conditions. And to understand why he can win and why he might not, we introduce the first piece of evidence: DeChambeau’s Bridgestone golf ball, which his caddie Tim Tucker found in a bush to the left of the 13th green.
That ball tells the story of DeChambeau at the Masters. It explains why he is a threat to win the green jacket, and also why he could leave here with some lasting scars.