TROON, Scotland -- Jordan Spieth, going for the third leg of the career Grand Slam, spent more time talking about a golf course he will never see.The majority of his press conference was taken up with questions about the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and why he chose not to play. Spieth knew that was coming. It was only when he was leaving the room that the 22-year-old Texan smiled and said to no one in particular, Do we have a tournament this week?Finally, yes.Colin Montgomerie, who lived across the street from Royal Troon when his father was the club secretary, hits the first tee shot when the British Open begins on Thursday. That should put to rest three days of consternation about another tournament -- the Olympics -- that doesnt have nearly the history or the tradition of golfs oldest championship.The International Golf Federation, run by former R&A chief Peter Dawson, took over Open week on Monday to announce that Olympic qualifying had ended and that Spieth (along with Rory McIlroy, Jason Day, Dustin Johnson and 16 other men) was not playing.The next day, Spieth stood by his decision (health concerns) and said his goal would be to get to the Tokyo Games in 2020, assuming the men are still in the games. McIlroy followed him into the room and blasted golf officials who for the last seven years have preached the Olympics as an opportunity to grow the game.I didnt get into golf to grow the game, McIlroy said. I got into golf to win championships, and win major championships.Even on Wednesday, the day before the 145th Open began, another press conference was held with the IGF backdrop to announce Britains golf team.Claret jug, anyone?Spieth let it slip through his fingers last year at St. Andrews going for his third straight major, and he wound up holding it later that evening -- but only because he was with Zach Johnson, the champion golfer of the year, when it was over.I crave to have that trophy in my possession at some point, Spieth said. And to reach a third leg of the Grand Slam this week would be a fantastic achievement.History is on his side, even if its more of a coincidence. The last six British Open champions at Royal Troon dating to 1950 are Americans, and it didnt escape Spieth when he looked at photos of the winners in the clubhouse. The last two winners, Todd Hamilton and Justin Leonard, lived in Dallas.Spieth arrived on the weekend and already saw the unpredictable nature of these Ayrshire links off the Irish Sea.The wind was into his face on Saturday and Sunday on the easier opening holes, and the prevailing wind at his back returned the following three days. Royal Troon is clearly a tale of two nines. The front nine typically is downwind and doesnt have a par 4 longer than 422 yards. The back nine turns into the wind and doesnt have a par 4 that his shorter than 430 yards.The common denominator? Bunkers dot the landscape on both sides, along with thick, prickly gorse bushes more prevalent at the turn. Fairway bunkers effectively are a half-shot penalty, possibly a full shot or more if the ball rolls up against the vetted faces.We looked at the holes, and on paper it looked relatively simple, Masters champion Danny Willett said. But you start knocking it in a couple of the bunkers, up near the faces, the bunker design is a little bit sneaky.The closing holes into the wind can be a three-club difference.You can see when its flattened out, you can have a go at the golf course, he said. But if you get it breezy, like in any Open venue, this place really shows its teeth.The record score at Royal Troon is 12-under 272 when Leonard won in 1997.McIlroy has been feisty this week. Along with taking on the purpose of golf in the Olympics, he was annoyed by a newspaper headline that referenced the Fab Four and suggested he was close to becoming Ringo Starr, regarded as the least of four Beatles.It was only two years ago that McIlroy ended the summer of 2014 by winning two straight majors and leaving no question who was No. 1. Spieth, Day and Johnson have combined to win four of the last six majors, and McIlroy is now at No. 4 in the world.I cant worry about other guys, McIlroy said. Im pretty confident that if I go out and play my best golf Im going to win more times than not. Ive got four major championships, and Id love to add to that tally -- just as those guys would love to add to their one or two majors that they have and just keep going.What the Fab Four has in common is all of them want a claret jug -- and none are going to the Olympics, anyway. Cheap Isaiah Thomas Jersey . It might not have mattered. While the Dodgers are preparing for the playoffs, the Padres showed their future has promise behind two rookies. Cheap Boston Celtics Jerseys . How great will be revealed in the next couple of days at the board of governors meeting in Pebble Beach, Calif. http://www.jerseysnbacheap.com/?tag=cheap-kyrie-irving-jersey .Y. -- Injured Buffalo Sabres forward Marcus Foligno did not practice with the team Monday and head coach Ron Rolston said its unlikely hell play in Wednesdays season opener in Detroit. Cheap Cleveland Cavaliers Jerseys . 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(STATS) -- Andy Talley is coaching his 32nd and final season at Villanova and the Wildcats are off to a 4-1 start, yet somehow theyre flying under the radar.It surely reflects on how there are so many good teams in CAA Football.In a good season for the conference, Richmond and James Madison are in the Top 10, Albany has enjoyed one of the bigger turnarounds in the FCS and New Hampshire may be putting together another of its patented runs to an FCS playoff bid. Even William & Mary is probably gaining more attention for having a subpar season.And there, lurking, is a Villanova team that probably benefits from not quite having the spotlight.The Wildcats, who won the 2009 national title, thought they had another championship contender last season, but that prospect ended when quarterback John Robertson was lost for the season in September. But his knee injury gave Nova an early start on 2016 with redshirt freshman Zack Bednarczyk taking control of the offense.Theyre now seeing the payoff.Bednarczyk has been steady this season, including three touchdown passes in Saturdays 42-7 win at Elon, which put the Wildcats atop the CAA standings at 2-0 alongside JMU and UNH.In a CAA built on running the ball and being able to stop the run, Villanova is among the best in both departments. Running back Matt Gudzak returned at the right time against Elon with leading rusher Javon White sidelined by an ankle injury, and the Wildcats churned out a program-record 35 first downs.Since a season-opening 28-7 loss at Pittsburgh, the defense has been surrendering fewer points to opponents on a weekly basis. It has a star in NFL-bound defensive end Tanoh Kpassagnon, who has 11 tackles for loss and five sacks this season.Villanova next hosts Rhode Island, the conferences worst team. Afterward, the schedule will give the Wildcats a chance to prove themselves in the title race and, they hope, get the beloved 73-year-old Talley to the playoffs in his final season.---=SECOND AND 10=Ten more observations from the FCS weekend:1.) There were a number of terrific crowds across the FCS this weekend, led by the 53,182 who watched Grambling State top Prairie View A&M 36-16 at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas. Sam Houston State and Stephen F. Austin drew 27,411 to NRG Stadium in Houston, while Montana (26,092) and James Madison (25,236) led the way on campus. New Hampshire saw the rewards of having a new stadium as a home-record 21,943 packed UNH Stadium.2.) The Island of Misfit Toys. Revenge of the Nerds. The FCS underdogs? Some strange things are going on with teams that were downtrodden a year ago. At 4-0, CAA hopeful Albany has surpassed last years win total and is nationally ranked. Missouri State didnt even beat an FCS team last year and was 1-10, but its 3-1 after a Top 25 win at Indiana State. Cornell just topped Patriot League champ Colgate and is 3-0 after going 1-9 last season and 5-25 in coach David Archers first three. Wagner (3-1), a solid program that went 1-10 last season, is back in a big way after handing Northeast Conference rival Sacred Heart its first loss.3.) The team of the week is Charleston Southern for the way it continues to beat its rivals. Saturdays 59-58, double-overtime triumph over Coastal Carolina in a Top 25 matchup was arguably the wildest in fourth-year coach Jamey Chadwells tenure. Solomon Browns block of an extra point in the second OT preserved the win. Under Chadwell, the Buccaneers are 3-1 against Coastal and 4-0 in town against The Citadel.4.) It was meltdown Saturday for Patriot League powers as defending champ Colgate and fellow 2015 playoff qualifier Fordham blew second-half leads. Colgate (1-3) surrendered a 19-point halftime cushion and lost to Cornelll 39-38.dddddddddddd Fordham (2-2) was up 14 at halftime at Monmouth and lost 42-41 in overtime on a two-point conversion by Reggie White Jr., son of the late NFL legend. At least Lehigh stayed hot with backup quarterback Brad Mayes firing for six touchdowns and a program-record 524 yards in a 63-35 rout of Yale. It barely matters whos quarterbacking the Mountain Hawks (3-2), who have averaged 51.3 points during a three-game winning streak.5.) North Dakotas season nearly seemed shot when it was 0-2 and on the verge of losing to South Dakota. But the Fighting Hawks rallied to win in double-OT against the Coyotes and have opened their Big Sky schedule with quality wins over Montana State and Cal Poly. Quarterback Keaton Studsrud has matured into the starting role, there are two big-play running backs in John Santiago and Brady Oliveira, and the defense is still a physical staple. Just as big, coach Bubba Schweigerts squad doesnt have Eastern Washington, Montana and Portland State on its conference schedule. The recent roll may continue all month long.6.) The 91st Battle of the Piney Woods was all Sam Houston State, which opened a 35-0 lead in its 63-28 rout of Stephen F. Austin. The game set a seventh straight record crowd at NRG Stadium, but the most impressive seven was Bearkats quarterback Jeremiah Briscoes school-record number of touchdown passes.7.) The most disappointing team in the FCS is Bethune-Cookman at 0-4. The Wildcats had designs on winning a sixth MEAC title in seven seasons, but that appears gone with back-to-back conference losses to Savannah State and North Carolina Central. Coach Terry Sims squad, which was 9-2 last season, had the most all-MEAC preseason selections with 15.8.) Jacksonville State sat idle and watched as the teams picked to challenge the Gamecocks perfection in the Ohio Valley Conference all lost Saturday -- Eastern Kentucky, Eastern Illinois and UT Martin. The Gamecocks are prohibitive favorites after going 8-0 each of the last two seasons. They wont face Tennessee State because the unbeaten Tigers are in a season in which they play an extra non-conference game.9.) On a Saturday of incredible offensive performance, including seven passers who went over 400 yards, there were six field goals of at least 50 yards. Did Lois Lane and Clark Kent have a super-human son that we didnt know about? Tennessee State junior Lane Clark led the way with a school-record 54-yard field goal that he proceeded to top with a 57-yarder. Wagners James Cooper (52), Chattanoogas Henrique Ribeiro (52), Texas Southerns Eric Medina (51, game-winner) and Libertys Alex Probert (51) also connected on career-long shots.10.) Top-ranked North Dakota States 31-10 win over Illinois State wasnt even that close. Coach Chris Kliemans squad made a statement in the rematch of the 2014 FCS championship game. Even if the Bison (4-0) lose one game, they surely will have home-field advantage in the FCS playoffs again.---=A LOOK AHEAD=North Carolina A&T gets the action started again Thursday night by hosting Norfolk State in the MEAC.The national schedule is one of the weaker ones in recent seasons. The key games on Saturday include: Big Sky, Northern Colorado at Eastern Washington; CAA, Richmond at Albany and William & Mary at James Madison; Ivy, Cornell at Harvard (a battle of unbeatens); Missouri Valley, Youngstown State at Illinois State and Indiana State at Western Illinois; and Ohio Valley, Tennessee State at Eastern Illinois.Also: Patriot, Colgate at Lehigh; Pioneer, Morehead State at Dayton; and Southern, Mercer at Chattanooga. 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