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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 A lot of people would argue it nearly ended there, too, soon superseded in Brazils sporting hierarchy by another wildly popular Scottish import of the era called futbol.Golf remains a niche sport here, played largely by the rich.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.Vapormax Hvid Herre Danmark . Vettel was 0.168 seconds faster than Red Bull teammate Mark Webber around the Suzuka circuit. Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg was two tenths of a second off Vettel. "The car balance is decent, but I think we can still improve," Vettel said. Vapormax Herre Udsalg . Listen to the game live on TSN Radio 1050 at 7pm et. The Raptors traded Rudy Gay, Quincy Acy and Aaron Gray to the Sacramento Kings on Monday, in exchange for Greivis Vasquez, John Salmons, Patrick Patterson and Chuck Hayes. http://www.vapormaxdanmark.com/vapormax-dame-sko-danmark/vapormax-sort-dk.html .com) - The Montreal Canadiens embark on their first road trip of the season as they head out west to battle the Calgary Flames on Wednesday night. Vapormax Plus Herre Danmark .com) - The Montreal Canadiens will try to halt their longest losing streak of the season when they host the struggling New York Islanders in tonights clash at the Bell Centre. Nike Joyride Run Danmark . -- Charline Labonte couldnt have asked for a better homecoming.Netballs version of the irresistible force and immovable object will clash in a potentially thrilling final round of the trans-Tasman competition.The order and identities of the top-three Australian conference teams to go into the finals series still have to be determined.First-placed NSW Swifts and defending champions Queensland Firebirds are level on points.They are separated by just four per cent with NSW holding a 29-goal superior for-and-against.The Swifts host unbeaten New Zealand conference leaders Southern Steel on Saturday.The Firebirds go a day later at home to West Coast Fever, who will need to win to claim the third and last Australian conference finals spot.They are equal on points with Melbourne Vixens, who are three per cent and 21 goals worse off going into an easier final-round fixture away to the struggling Pulse in Wellington.Pulse still have some hope of joining the Steel and the Magic as the New Zealand conference finals series contestants if they beat Vixens, as they are level on points with the Mystics and Tactix, who meet in Auckland.You couldnt have planned it any better really, could you,? Swifts defender Sharni Layton said of the final-round draw.For us, its a really exciting game coming into finals. Its going to really test us to see where were at..ddddddddddddou want to be coming up against the best at the end of the year, because you want to see how youre going and we dont really know.Australian Diamonds defender Laytons duel with the Steels prolific Jamaican shooter Jhaniele (Jhaniele) Fowler-Reid could be a vital factor in the outcome at Sydney Olympic Park Sports Centre.Fowler-Reid needs only 37 goals for a competition season-record tally of 668, overhauling the 2013 mark set by Jamaican compatriot and Firebirds sharpshooter Romelda Aiken.The Steel spearhead leads the league in rebounds, while tenacious defender Layton, who is 11cm smaller, tops the competition in deflections and intercepts.Fowler-Reid has added another dimension to her game this season, according to Layton.She is arguably up there as the hardest shooter to play on, probably there with her Jamaican mate Romelda, Layton said.In previous years, what would have differentiated Romelda and Jhaniele would have been the athleticism of Romelda but, this year, Jhaniele has that as well and really developed as a player.Shes been moving more this year. Shes been taking longer shots which means shes got more confidence in herself. ' ' '