Verdammt!

Once again, the golf columnists say, Tiger Woods is at war with himself, this time at the PGA Masters Tournament in Augusta. Evidently, he's having "motor memory" issues. Lots of motor, little memory (of the correct swing). "As soon as you step to the first tee of a major golf championship, an entirely new nervous system takes control of your body. Unfortunately, it is often your old nervous system — even if you are Tiger Woods at the Masters," writes Thomas Boswell of the Washington Post. Citing well-known psychology, Boswell notes that the human brain clings to its native language. If you were born speaking German, but have spoken English fluently for decades, you'll still scream "Feuer!" (fire) if you awaken in a burning house. That probably explains why Herr Tiger -- after a bogey-bogey finish yesterday -- was heard shouting "Verdammt!" (Dammit!) on the 18th hole. (Woods finished at an even-par 72 Thursday in a 16-way tie for 29th place.)