When asked about what he’d be thinking about during his weekend rounds at the 2019 Master’s Championship at the Augusta National Golf Club, current #3 golfer in the world and 3-time major champion Brooks Koepka, thought about an article published in 2003 in the American Journal of Neuroradiology1 before answering. “Nothing,” he said. “I have no thoughts. When you have nothing to think about, it’s easy.” Unfortunately for Koepka, Tiger Woods gave him something to think about when he birdied #15 to take the lead. Koepka ended up finishing 1 stroke behind Woods in a 3-way tie for second place. While Koepka has very likely never heard of the American Journal of Neuroradiology, and had not really read the paper from 2003, his simple answer is a proof-of-concept of Dr. Ross’ paper that showed decreased fMRI activity in highly skilled compared to less skilled golfers.
—Keith B. Quencer, MD, Department of Radiology,
University of Utah School of Medicine
—Kevin S. Quencer, JD, Knoxville, Tennessee
- Ross JS, Tkach J, Ruggieri PM, et al. The mind’s eye: functional MR imaging evaluation of golf motor imagery. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol 2003;24:1036—44
