uare-foot tower walls. With more than 31,000 square feet

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 theyre 16, and theyre fully mature tour players when theyre 18 or 19. Im 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.Wholesale Jerseys .2 billion agreement with Rogers Communications for the leagues broadcast and multimedia rights. Wholesale NFL Jerseys . Robredo, ranked No. 16, bounced back from an upset loss to Leonardo Mayer in the second round of the Royal Guard Open in Chile last week to down Carreno Busta in 1 hour, 25 minutes. On a day filled mostly with qualifying matches, fifth-seeded Marcel Granollers of Spain also entered the second with a 7-5, 3-6, 6-2 win over Aljaz Bedene of Slovenia, while Guido Pella of Argentina defeated Guillermo Garcia-Lopez of Spain 7-6 (6), 6-4 to advance. http://www.wholesalejerseysnfl.info/ . -- Linebacker Myles Jack ran for four touchdowns, defensive end Cassius Marsh caught a scoring pass, and No. Wholesale Jerseys China . First off, the fans ripped the Cubbies introduction of a fuzzy new kid-friendly mascot named "Clark".TAMPA, Fla. -- Case Keenum threw for the Rams first touchdown since relocating back to Los Angeles, and Todd Gurley rushed for two more scores Sunday in a 37-32 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.The Rams (2-1), who did not get into the end zone in the first two games of the season, also scored on Ethan Westbrooks 77-yard fumble return and Tavon Austins 43-yard reception in the fourth quarter before thunder and lightning caused a 69-minute weather delay with two minutes remaining.Keenum, who used three field goals to beat Seattle 9-3 in Week 2, completed 14 of 25 passes for 190 yards, two TDs and one interception, which Bucs linebacker Kwon Alexander returned 38 yards for a first-quarter touchdown. In addition to throwing a TD pass to Austin for a late 11-point lead, he got the Rams on track early with his 44-yard scoring pass to Brian Quick for the franchises first TD as the L.A. Rams since 1994.Jameis Winston threw for 405 yards and three TDs for Tampa Bay (1-2). He threw an interception that set up one of Gurleys two 1-yard touchdown runs and was stripped by the Rams Robert Quinn on the fumble that Westbrooks returned up the left sideline for a 31-20 lead.Winstons 7-yard TD pass to Mike Evans trimmed Tampa Bays deficit to 37-32 with 2:15 remaining.The Bucs forced a punt after the lightning delay and drove from their own 44 to the Rams 15 before Winston threw two incompletions and was tackled on the 5-yard line by Quinn on the final play.WEATHER DELAYOfficials suspended play during the two-minute warning with the Rams facing third-and-11 from their own 5-yard line. Fans were asked to clear the stands and seek coverage in stadium concourses before the approaching thunderstorm passed directly over the field, dumping heavy rain.DROUGHT ENDSThe Rams scored their first touchdown of the season, driving 75 yards on eight plays following the opening kickoff to take a 7-0 lead on Keenums 44-yard pass to Quick just over three minutes into the game.dddddddddddd Gurleys TD, set up by ex-Buc Mark Barrons interception and seven-yard return to the Tampa Bay 22, trimmed Tampa Bays lead to 20-17 just before halftime. With Tampa Bay driving for a possible go-ahead score in the fourth quarter, Quinns sack/strip led to Westbrooks fumble return. It was the NFL-leading 18th fumble Quinn has forced since entering the league in 2012.FILLING INWith RB Doug Martin sidelined with a hamstring injury, Charles Sims made his first NFL pro start for the Bucs and rushed for 55 yards on 13 attempts. The third-year pro, who has been a key component of Tampa Bays passing game since Winston joined the team, also had six receptions for 69 yards.WATCH ME NOWThe Bucs unveiled a new video board system as part of a $140 million renovation of Raymond James Stadium. The system features two 9,600 square-foot boards 9,600 square-foot boards on the north and south ends of the stadium, as well as four 2,300 square-foot tower walls. With more than 31,000 square feet of combined video display space, the team says it the third-largest video board system in the NFL.INJURIESRams: Did not report any during the game.Buccaneers: G Kevin Pamphile left in the game in the second half and did not return. There was no immediate announcement on his status. Played without RB Martin (hamstring), DE Robert Ayers (ankle), Jr., TE Luke Stocker (ankle), and WR Cecil Shorts III (hamstring), who were all injured during the previous weeks loss at Arizona.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and http://twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '