TROON, Scotland --?Jason Day, Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth, Rory McIlroy, Adam Scott, Branden Grace. Six players in the worlds top 10 who will not be teeing up in Rio next month -- a damning indictment of the Olympics standing on a golfers wanted list.The Games, which sees a return of golf for the first time since 1904, could really do with a win right about now. It got that on Tuesday when Masters champion Danny Willett and former U.S. Open winner Justin Rose?-- ranked 9th and 11th respectively -- all but confirmed they will represent Great Britain in Rio.As Willett and Rose prepare for the Open Championship in Troon, both clearly had one eye on a six-week run that will see them compete in two major championships before joining up with Team GB in Brazil.With around half of the 15 players to have officially ruled themselves out of the Olympics citing the threat of the Zika virus as their reason, new-dad Willett admits it was a tough decision to play.Theres been a few discussions with me and [my wife] Nic, he told reporters at Troon. Its a tricky one. The opportunity was there to be an Olympian and that to me [is] going to be pretty cool. You dont know how many times you will be in the Olympics, if [golf] will be in the Olympics again. Obviously with how people reacted to everything, youre not quite sure.I was pretty sure all along I wanted to go play unless the threat would have gotten worse, then it would have been a very different story. But from what I understand in speaking to the guys, the threat is lessening every day. Its obviously winter over there, and the guys are taking precautionary measures to make sure things are as safe as possible. So Im willing to take that little bit of risk that there is and go play.It was something I wanted to do was to be supporting team Britain in the Olympics and its something Im still very much set for going.Rose, meanwhile, said he is excited to be headed to Rio. Im treating it as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, he said. Its sort of been my tag line, I suppose. I hope that Ill be able to play in Tokyo [in 2020]. We hope that golf will be in Tokyo, but for the most part, at this stage of my career its something that comes around once every four years [so] its something you can certainly make an exception for. Thats been my attitude towards it.Just being a part of Team GB, in a sense you feel like youre part of something bigger than just your individual sport as well.Its going to be a fun occasion, and Ive never been to an Olympic games in any capacity. To go as an athlete is a huge honour. But as part of the whole experience, I want to take in the Games as a whole. So its something that my family and I have been very excited about.Both players, though, expressed sympathy with those who have pulled out due to the threat of Zika -- a virus that can cause defects in new-born babies.You look at a lot of people down there in their own sports and a lot of them are inside, Willett said. Were one of the only sports that are going to be outside for such a long period of time. You look at the golf course, its obviously very close to the water down in old marshland.So if you break it down, the risks are probably slightly higher for us than other sports just because of the nature that you could be having five-hour rounds with an hour warm-up and still be outside for long periods of time. And obviously, the mosquitos are going to potentially be there. But its winter [in Brazil]. The threat level has been lessening every week.Rose added: Its a sad situation to see those sorts of guys pulling out. Its obviously weakened the field. But youve got to respect their position. You do have to put your health and family first from that point of view.Willett and Rose are expected to be announced on Wednesday as Team GBs representatives for Rio, with Englishman Chris Wood first reserve should either of his compatriots have a last-minute change of heart. Swell Bottle Sale . Manuel was offered a position the day he was fired. He accepted earlier this week and the team made the announcement Friday. Liberty Swell Bottle Uk . Burris threw two TD passes, including a key 15-yard fourth-quarter strike to Bakari Grant that effectively countered a Toronto comeback bid and led Hamilton to a 33-19 victory. http://www.swellbottleuk.com/ . Having already announced that the race will start May 9 with three stages in Northern Ireland and Ireland and finish in Trieste on June 1, the rest of the route was unveiled Monday. Swell Traveler Uk . -- Three close looks at the bucket, three misses. Swell Uk .com) - The game was all punts and field goals before Kodi Whitfields catch. Four of college basketballs elite programs will gather at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday night for the renewal of the Champions Classic. Kentucky faces Michigan State at 7 p.m. ET followed by Duke vs. Kansas at 9:15.For No. 2-ranked Kentucky, it will be the first true test for John Caliparis young team, which features three McDonalds All-American freshmen in the starting lineup. The Wildcats defeated Stephen F. Austin 87-64 on Friday and Canisius 93-69 on Sunday before heading to New York City.No. 13 Michigan State opened its season Friday with a last-second 65-63 loss to No. 10 Arizona in the Armed Forces Classic in Honolulu. The Spartans jumped out to a 17-2 lead but could not hold it.Michigan State just lost, Calipari said. So were going to be playing a mean dog up in New York.It will be an interesting test for such a young Kentucky squad.It will be hard, Calipari said Sunday night. We got to practice and travel tomorrow. Have dinner in New York City, and you play the next day. How much can I do?Calipari said Sunday he knows what to expect from a Tom Izzo-coached team.Go play a team that you know is going to play hard, you know is going to rebound, you know is going to fly, Calipari said. If you dont get back on defense, theyre going to shoot layups. You know they get back. They rebound like crazy, thats their hallmark. They rebound, they bang.Tom does a great job with his team and puts them in great positions like always and it will be a war, Calipari said. Its going to be a tough game for us. We may start four freshmen, thats a tough place to start four freshmen walking into Madison Square Garden in that level of a game.Izzos club, like Kentucky, is depending heavily on freshmen. Miles Bridges scored 21 pooints in the Arizona loss and was the only player to reach double figures in scoring.dddddddddddd. Nick Ward added nine points, Josh Langford scored five and Cassius Winston had three assists but failed to score.For Kentucky, sophomore Isaiah Briscoe is the leading scorer through two games at 19.0 points per game, including a career-best 21 points Sunday against Canisius. After that, three freshmen follow Briscoe. Point guard DeAaron Fox checks in at 16.5 points followed by Malik Monk at 13.0 and Bam Adebayo at 9.5 points and 6.0 rebounds.Tuesdays game will mark the renewal of one of the greatest basketball rivalries on the national stage. Kentucky and Michigan State have faced off four times in the NCAA Tournament and each time with a berth in the Final Four at stake. The Spartans won three times.The most memorable might have been 2005, when Michigan State and Kentucky battled into double overtime before the Spartans prevailed 94-88 in Austin, Texas. In 1999, Michigan State kept Kentucky from defending its national title with a 73-66 win. In 1957, Michigan State upset third-ranked Kentucky 80-68.Kentuckys lone NCAA Tournament win over Michigan State was a big one. The Wildcats topped the Spartans 52-49 en route to the 1978 NCAA Tournament championship.Overall, Kentucky and Michigan State have faced off 23 times with 12 wins for the Wildcats and 11 for the Spartans. The last meeting was in this same Champions Classic event, a 78-74 win by Michigan State in a battle of No. 1 vs. No. 2 on Nov. 12, 2013. Kentucky would go on to reach the national championship game, losing to Connecticut. ' ' '