Wilkommen bei den Schatten » spent time playing in Russia, Turke

RIO DE JANEIRO -- The history of golf in Brazil would fit on the back of a scorecard.It begins at the turn of the 20th century, when English and Scottish railway engineers convinced some Benedictine monks to set aside a parcel of land for the game on a monastery near Sao Paulo. A lot of people would argue it nearly ended there, too, soon superseded in Brazils sporting hierarchy by another wildly popular Scottish import of the era called futbol.Golf remains a niche sport here, played largely by the rich. But the hope is that the games return at these Olympics could spark a boom, not unlike the way a swashbuckling young American named Arnold Palmer convinced his countrymen to pick up a club and give golf a go in the 1960s.Whats happening here, we hope, will be like what happened in the states 60 years ago, said Nico Barcellos, who played a dozen years on Latin Americas modest pro golf circuit and Brazils Olympic golf team leader, as well as the head of the national federation. Were 60 years behind, but were working on it.To call that a daunting task, given the current state of the economy, doesnt tell the half of it.With a population of 200 million, Brazil has exactly one player, Lucas Lee, currently on the PGA Tour. Its nearly 300 times larger than North Dakota, but they have the same number of golf courses -- about 125. Despite the just-completed Olympic Golf Course on the city west side, theres no chance to close the gap soon. The country has to import everything from clubs and balls to earthmovers and riding mowers.They dont even have that staple of the 19th hole -- golf jokes.Give me a second, Barcellos chuckled. Maybe I can come up with one.But that hasnt dissuaded him from trying to grow the game. The Brazilian federation recently trained 50,000 physical education teachers as part of a Golf Para Vida (Golf for Life) campaign to familiarize schoolkids with the game and says 100 youngsters will be out on the Olympic course every day after the Rio Games end.While hed like to discover another golfer or two like current Brazilian womens team member Victoria Lovelady, both of them know it wont be easy.In my generation, your family had to be part of the game, the 29-year-old Rio de Janeiro native said. The hope is this is a big step in making golf more accessible to all.Her great-grandfather was a founding member of Itanhanga, one of three courses in the Rio metropolitan area. But after playing the Orange Bowl tournament, a premier junior event in Miami, she moved in with a relative in the United States to raise the level of her game. After attending USC on a golf scholarship, and attempting to lock up a spot on the pro tour, like Barcellos, she views these Olympics as a chance to give something back.Asked what it would take to impress her countrymen, she laughed.Maybe that we can hit the ball over 200 meters, or more than two soccer fields, she paused, something Brazilian fans can relate to. And its probably the first time that many of them will see something like that.Justin Rose, one of the best-known mens golfers to actually show up, had a shorter answer to the same question.Lots of birdies, the Englishman began.A moment later, he added, But it wont hurt if one of the Brazilians gets into a close battle coming down the stretch on the final day. Competition like that always translates well.Whether the locals tune in when mens play begins Thursday is anyones guess.The course is designed like a traditional links, flat and treeless, tucked behind a highway lined with car dealerships.The grandstand alongside the 18th green is about the size of the one used for the RSM Classic on Sea Island, Georgia, a modest PGA Tour event in November that closes out the season. Looming nearby are a handful of completed and still-under-construction condominium towers that are part of the same project, a reminder that building a golf course in Brazil remains heavily dependent on the state of Brazils economy.But that isnt Barcellos only concern.PGA Tour pro K.J. Choi, who is Koreas team leader, played a round at Olympic and described it this way: Many waters ... wind very important ... good for iron play.When that description is relayed to Barcellos, he looks off in the distance.I think this course will be the biggest legacy of these games.But I worry sometimes its too hard, he said finally, and that a player will hit three slices off the first tee, lose all three balls and ask for a taxi to go home. Billig Nmd Sko . 4 Villanova with a 96-68 drubbing on Monday. Wragge hit 9-of-14 from behind the arc, matching Kyle Korvers school record for 3-pointers in a game set in 2003, as Creighton (16-3, 6-1 Big East broke a conference record with 21 treys in the rout. Nmd Xr4 Norge . Already owning gold from competition in Vancouver in 2010, Loch posted a combined four-run time of 3:27.526. That included a track-record third run of 51. http://www.nmdnorgesalg.com/nmd-r2-sko-norge.html . Dallas hasnt ruled out the star quarterback for Sunday nights game against Philadelphia, but all signs point to Romos back injury pushing Kyle Orton into the starting role after two years of limited play as the backup. Surely Ortons name isnt the first that comes to mind for fans wanting a change after years of damaging interceptions, fumbles or, most infamously, the field goal flub when Romo dropped the snap on a kick that could have won his first playoff game in 2006. Adidas Nmd Xr1 Norge . The 31-year-old Spain midfielder hasnt played since Madrid lost in the Copa del Rey final to Atletico Madrid in May due to back and foot injuries. Nmd Norge Shop .Y. -- Paul Byron and Matt Stajan scored as the Calgary Flames started a five-game road trip with a 2-1 overtime win over the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday afternoon. RIO DE JANEIRO -- The U.S. womens basketball teams dominating performances at the Olympics over the past two decades isnt the result of simply having the best players in the world.Of course that helps, and continuity plays a major part. But dont discount the players being well versed in the rules and nuances of international basketball. Diana Taurasi and most of her U.S. teammates spend their offseason playing overseas because of the financial incentives.Most of the Olympic players are either teammates of the American players or opponents in leagues around the world -- including Russia, Turkey, France or China.The U.S. mens basketball team, which has won 50 straight international tournament games, is still adjusting to the different style of play in Rio. There are 10 first-time Olympians on that squad, which has been challenged in the tournament.We talk about it all the time. Last night I was talking to Kyrie (Irving) and Kyle (Lowry), talked to Draymond (Green). Its a different type of basketball, Taurasi said. Until you play it, or experience it, you dont understand it. The more games the guys have played, I thought theyve felt more comfortable in each scenario. Everythings way different. Ive been lucky to play overseas for 12 years so I understand it a little bit better.Taurasi wasnt surprised at Serbia point guard Milos Teodosics success against the U.S. mens team in pool play, when he had 18 points and six assists in a 94-91 loss.Ive been watching him play for 10 years and hes one of my favorite players and no ones ever heard of him, Taurasi said. Hes an unbelievable basketball player. Im sure they didnt hear of him. We have the luxury to play against all the Serbians, the French, the Aussies, the Spanish, the Chinese. We played against them for 10 years now. We have that comfort level.The U.S. women certainly have looked comfortable over the past 20 years in the Olympics. The Americans have won 46 Olympic contests in a row with only one game being decided by single digits. The men are also 5--0, but won each of their last two games by three points.ddddddddddddIts slower. Teams try to slow the game down, Kevin Durant said of one of the many differences between the NBA and international play. They have a lot of continuity in their sets. Defensively they can sit in the paint, so its different. The floor is a little tighter, but we got a lot of shooters, and we just try to find our rhythm on the offensive end. But, defensively, we got to do a better job of talking to each other.Ten of the 12 U.S. women players have spent a few seasons playing abroad, with only Breanna Stewart and Elena Delle Donne lacking the international experience. Stewart will play in China this offseason.I do feel like its a different game overseas, said Tamika Catchings, who has spent time playing in Russia, Turkey and South Korea. You play USA Basketball and you go over there maybe, but its a different animal when youre in that country and playing.A lot of the guys may not have played with the USA junior level. When you play on this elite level, definitely every country wants to beat us. Theyre training every single day knowing their goal is to beat the U.S. team to win the gold.The U.S. men will learn Monday night who they will play in quarterfinals on Wednesday.The women begin quarterfinal play on Tuesday against Japan, the team in Rio the Americans know the least about. Japans top player, Ramu Tokashiki, plays on WNBA Seattle Storm along with Stewart and Sue Bird.Geno Auriemma has been impressed with how Japan has competed.I dont think theres another team in the world that plays the way they do, the U.S. coach said. Play as quickly as they do, as crisp together as they play and do as many things as Japan does, I think they are unique in the world in that respect.---Online:AP Summer Games website: http://summergames.ap.org/---Follow Doug on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/dougfeinberg ' ' '