programs to mold elite female golfers would help their short games is an unknown. But there is growing consensus that unless some type of coordinated approach is developed in Ameri

RIO DE JANEIRO -- With fireworks forming the word Rio in the sky, performers decked in silver and sweet, sultry music, Rio de Janiero is welcoming the world to the first Olympic Games in South America with a message: Lets take better care of our planet.After one of the roughest-ever rides from vote to games by an Olympic host, the city of beaches, carnival, grinding poverty and sun-kissed wealth lifted the curtain on the games of the 31st Olympiad with a three-hour gala that celebrated Brazils can-do spirit, biodiversity and its indigenous people. It will trace its history from forested land, through colonization by Portugal, and into a nation of astounding diversity and contrasts.Before the show, in a video broadcast inside the 78,000-seat Maracana Stadium, U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said the games celebrate the best of humanity and appealed for an Olympic truce, calling on all warring pries to lay down their weapons during the two weeks of sporting achievement.Performers decked in silvery suits folded and unfolded glittering silver sheets that transformed into giant cushions they then beat like drums. Fireworks lit up the skies and the peace symbol, tweaked into the shape of a tree, was projected on the floor of the stadium where Germany won the World Cup in 2014.As well as a showcase for Brazils history, culture, diversity and hopes, the gala also represents a triumph, because there were times after the International Olympic Committee selected Rio ahead of Chicago, Tokyo and Madrid in 2009 when it seemed that the city of 6.5 million people might not get its act together for the worlds greatest sporting mega-event.But with more than a dash of gambiarra, the Brazilian art of quick-fixes and making do, Rio de Janeiro is ready.Just.The honor of declaring the games open will fall to Michel Temer, Brazils unpopular interim president, standing in for suspended President Dilma Rousseff. Her ouster less than four months out from the games for alleged budget violations was one of the many complications that roiled Brazils Olympic preparations and impacted the opening ceremony itself. Fewer than 25 foreign heads of state were expected, with others seemingly staying away to avoid giving the impression of taking sides amid Brazils leadership uncertainty.As Brazilian officials took their places, there were shouts of out with Temer from sections of the crowd.Athletes from 205 nations and territories were set to march behind their flags. Theyll be joined by a first-ever Refugee Olympic Team of 10 athletes, displaced from Syria, South Sudan, Congo and Ethiopia. Their flag-bearer, Rose Nathike Lokonyen, fled war in South Sudan and ran her first race in a refugee camp in northern Kenya.Michael Phelps will lead the U.S. team, the largest with 549 competitors. Historys greatest Olympian will be looking to add to his record haul of 22 medals, in three individual swims plus relays, before the Aug. 21 closing ceremony.On behalf of all 11,288 competitors (6,182 men; 5,106 women), a Brazilian athlete will pledge an oath that they wont take banned drugs -- a promise likely to ring false to many fans after the scandal of government-orchestrated cheating in Russia.While it escaped a blanket ban, Russia is paying the price in the shape of a smaller team, whittled down from a 389 athletes to around 270.Iran picked a woman, archer Zahra Nemati, as flag-bearer for its team made up overwhelmingly of men.After the grandeur of Beijings opening ceremony in 2008 and the high-tech, cheeky inventiveness of Londons in 2012, Rios was expected to be more earthy, with funk, samba and joie de vivre laced with more serious messages from the country with the worlds largest forest, the Amazon, for the need to protect the planet. Grammy award winners Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil, and supermodel Gisele Bundchen were expected to star.The world is very tense and so is Brazil. We are also willing to tell the world to stop attacking our home. The world is threatened because of global warming. We are calling for action, said Fernando Meirelles, one of the directors of the show.After Brazils most famous athlete -- soccer star Pele -- said he will not appear, the Olympic mystery of who might light the cauldron remained intact.The cauldron was designed by American sculptor Anthony Howe, who told The Associated Press he was inspired by life in the tropics. There will be two cauldrons in Rio, one at the Maracana soccer stadium that is hosting the opening ceremony and another open to the public in downtown Rio.The cauldron in central Rio is expected to be lit by a runner after the opening ceremony is finished, Howe said.In all, 4,800 performers and volunteers will be involved in the show designed to showcase Brazil as a garden of the world.Smile is the approach the Brazilians have toward life, said Marco Balich, the executive producer. Brazil is not a grand nation. Theyre saying in this ceremony, we are who we are, with a lot of social problems, a lot of crises in the political system, etc.NBC will broadcast the opening ceremony on a one-hour tape delay because it wants the entertainment spectacle to be shown completely in U.S. prime time. Rio is one hour later than Eastern time.Gilbert Perreault Jersey . -- The proud fathers huddled near the Dallas Stars dressing room, smiling, laughing and telling stories while wearing replica green sweaters of their sons team. Marco Scandella Sabres Jersey .com) - The game was all punts and field goals before Kodi Whitfields catch. http://www.sabresteamstoreonline.com/authentic-sam-reinhart-sabres-jersey/ . MORITZ, Switzerland -- Fog prevented downhill racers from getting their Olympic dress rehearsal. Vladimir Sobotka Sabres Jersey . -- Jaye Marie Green shot a 4-under 68 on Thursday to increase her lead to five strokes after the second round of the LPGA Tours qualifying tournament. Rasmus Ristolainen Sabres Jersey .5 seconds to play in the game, Kevin Love never stopped believing that they would come out of there with a win.NAPLES, Fla. -- If an American wins the CME Group Tour Championship, it will be an upset.As another LPGA seasons ends this week at Tiburon Golf Club, thats not an insult but a fact.Whether someone from the United States has her hands on a trophy late on Sunday afternoon, it has been a historically weak season for American women golfers on a tour founded and based in this country. Only two Americans have won LPGA events during 2016, Lexi Thompson at the Honda LPGA Thailand and Brittany Lang at the U.S. Womens Open. The fewest LPGA titles claimed in a season by Americans was four in 2011.We are outnumbered out here, says 39-year-old American Cristie Kerr, the defending CME defending champion, and thats what people seem to lose sight of a lot. We do our best and carry the whole country on our backs, and hopefully people can realize that.That the LPGA arguably is sports best melting pot -- there are 127 players from 28 countries other than the United States on tour in 2016 -- is no news flash. As long ago as the late 1990s, there were dozens of international LPGA members, and Stacy Lewis (2012, 2014) is the only American to win Rolex Player of the Year in two decades.Yes, the United States won the 2015 Solheim Cup over Europe and won the 2016 UL International Crown in a field that included teams from Asia, the hotbed of womens golf. But the paucity of American individual success is still jarring. Ranked fifth in the world, Thompson, 21, is the only American in the top 10, with Lewis (13th) and Gerina Piller (18th) the only other U.S. golfers in the top 20.I find it a little scary, says Golf Channel analyst Judy Rankin, a star player in the 1960s and 1970s. I almost hate to say anything to put more pressure on the American players, because I think they feel it. There is no doubt its a sticking point. I am really hopeful that there are big crops of juniors coming up in the U.S. that might be the next wave.Efforts to boost youth participation in the United States are underway and growing, with 60,000 girls now involved in the USGA-LPGA Girls Golf program. The PGA of Americas Junior Golf Leagues are popular too, with 36,000 participants. The same goes for the Drive, Chip and Putt Championship, a skills initiative from the Masters Tournament, USGA and PGA of America in which finalists compete at Augusta National Golf Club.But growing the game, to use the biz-speak term that has filled so many conversations in the golf industry in recent years, doesnt necessarily translate into emerging elite American young women who can compete toe-to-toe with international competitors.There is very little depth in America right now in the womens game, not a big pool, says veteran instructor David Leadbetter, who coaches world No. 1 Lydia Ko, the Korea-born New Zealander. Whether pros or amateurs, if you took the 10 best 18-year-olds from the U.S. and South Korea and had a competition, I guarantee you it would be a complete whitewash. Thats just the fact of the matter.Talented female golfers in other parts of the world frequently are immersed in golf at younger ages through organized channels of a national scope -- federations or associations charged with developing and supporting young talent. No existing American entity has that responsibility.It really is a missing link here, says Hall of Famer and 31-time LPGA winner Juli Inkster. Places are trying to grow the game but not really grow individuals. We dont have a federation to push our young athletic girls into golf, and weve come to a point where we need a federation to really grow top-level golfers. Im not saying our girls arent good, because they are. But theyve grown up in a different type of golf atmosphere.That overseas atmosphere, particularly in Asia, often is an intense and focused approach.Theyre starting earlier and working harder, veteran instructor Jim McLean says. Youve got to give the South Koreans credit -- they start the girls early and they train. Its P.C. in America to say you want a well-rounded child, you want them to do a little bit of this and a little bit of that. But if you look at the greatest people in the world, the greatest achievers, theyre not well-rounded, theyre laser-focused.None of the women in the current top 10 of the world rankings went to college (although several have or are taking online courses). Many players overseas look at it from an occupation standpoint, a jobs standpoint, Leadbetter says, Look at Lydia: When she was 5, her mother decided that she was going to be a golfer. Theyre almost pros when theyrre 16, and theyre fully mature tour players when theyre 18 or 19.ddddddddddddIm not belittling anyone who goes to college, but whether college prepares them for the tour is another question.The globalization is well underway on American campuses. The University of Washington won the 2016 NCAA womens golf championship with two players from New Zealand, one from England, one from China and one from the United States. This year, longtime coach Mary Lou Mulflurs team has a similar international makeup with a majority of players from abroad.We have certain things we look for in a kid, and it just so happens of late people we bring in are international kids, Mulflur says. Its a combination of things, but if you put us coaches in a room, we would probably say there is more appreciation for the opportunity. Most other countries, you either turn pro and become a golfer or you go to school and become a doctor, accountant or whatever. It takes a lot of nerve to move 5,000 miles from home to where you dont know anybody. The sacrifices people make are quite great.Neil Coulson is the director of golf at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, where aspiring athletes in nine sports go to school and train. Approximately 80 percent of the female junior golfers are from outside the United States. A native of England, Coulson spent 15 years as a senior executive for IMG Golf in Asia before taking his current position.I think there is a different work ethic in Asia, Coulson says of youth golfers in that part of the world. There is less of a need for instant feedback than required in the West. If juniors over there can understand the goal, they will try to achieve the goal even if it takes a long time. They are willing to work longer to achieve a goal than a Western child generally would.Overseas, developing players also tend to experience less than ideal conditions, things that can contribute to toughness and creativity.When you look at the way other countries train, Mulflur says, they dont always have the most perfect practice facility or every blade of grass cut perfectly, and greens that roll at 12 [on the Stimpmeter] all the time. They just learn to play the game.All one has to do is glance at Thompsons Instagram feed to see her strong work ethic. There are frequently workout pictures. The other day she posted an image of her hands, calloused and blistered, after a long practice session.I dont think its a lack of effort, Rankin says. You have a bunch of players from around the world who are very talented, who are very work-driven and seem to have a very special mental attitude for the game. I think that plays well for them, many from the Far East, for the long haul.At age 21, Thompson, who won her first LPGA event at 16, has seven career wins, including a major. Rarely, though, is her putting as good as her powerful ball-striking. Thompson is ranked 61st in putts per green in regulation for 2016.Inkster laughed when informed that, at age 56, she is the only American in the top 10 in that important statistical category.Lexi and Gerina, too, theyre good putters but not great putters, Inkster says. You can say what you want about hitting the ball, but if youre not putting well, youre not going to win. When Lexi wins, she putts well. Thats the bottom line. Most of the Asian players can roll the rock. Thats where you make your living.Whether the formation of new programs to mold elite female golfers would help their short games is an unknown. But there is growing consensus that unless some type of coordinated approach is developed in America in which kids of all financial backgrounds take part, the LPGA landscape of 2016 might be the long-term future despite Kerrs contention that the lack of wins is just a blip.Theres no reason why it shouldnt happen, Coulson says. Whether you could get everybody around the table to come up with an aligned strategy and make it happen is probably a different discussion. There are a lot of stakeholders, and they all have their own interests. Its quite easy to produce participation, but that doesnt mean youre going to produce elite players.Can a bad year lead to good things?Golf is a global game, and people are coming from all over to the LPGA because its the best tour, Mulflur says. They want to succeed at the highest level, just like the American players do. Good for them. They are pushing us to be better. You either step up or fall behind. ' ' '