Chris Kirk opened with a 68. ... McGladrey extended its title spo

Kevin Durant withdrew Thursday from the U. Fake College Basketball Jerseys .S. national team, the biggest loss yet for a weakening American squad that will go to Spain without the leading scorer on its last two gold medal winners. The NBAs MVP took part in the Americans training camp in Las Vegas last week, but then informed team officials that he wasnt going to continue. "Kevin reached out to Coach K and myself this afternoon and expressed that he is just physically and mentally drained from the NBA season and his attention to his many responsibilities, USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo said in a statement. "He tried to give it a go at our recent Las Vegas training camp but felt coming out of camp that he was not prepared to fulfil the commitment he made to the team." Durant was the MVP of the world championship in 2010, leading the Americans to that title for the first time since 1994. The Oklahoma City star also started on their gold medal-winning team in the 2012 Olympics and led the Americans with 19.5 points per game. His withdrawal comes less than a week after Indianas Paul George was lost to a broken right leg and follows previous withdrawals by All-Stars Kevin Love, Blake Griffin and LaMarcus Aldridge, and NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard. "This was an extremely difficult decision as I take great pride in representing our country," Durant said. "I know that I owe it to my USA Basketball teammates to be totally invested in the experience. After going through training camp with USAB, I realized I could not fulfil my responsibilities to the team from both a time and energy standpoint. "I need to take a step back and take some time away, both mentally and physically in order to prepare for the upcoming NBA season. I will be rooting for USAB and look forward to future opportunities with them." The U.S. roster is down to 15 players. The Americans resume practicing next Thursday in Chicago and have to finalize a 12-man roster before the World Cup of Basketball begins in Spain on Aug. 30. The Americans may still be the favourites, but are increasingly beatable with the losses of Durant and George, who were expected to fill the two starting forward spots. Durant carried a young U.S. to the title four years ago in Turkey with a series of sensational performances, averaging 22.8 points and shattering a number of team offensive records. He set the American mark with 38 points in a semifinal victory over Lithuania. At 6-foot-10, Durant is big enough to play as a power forward internationally, creating a matchup nightmare for opponents who cant defend him on the perimeter. He led the tournament in 3-pointers attempted and made in the 2010 worlds. He has averaged 19.9 points in 31 games in a U.S. jersey, shooting 48 per cent from 3-point range. But Colangelo said the Americans understood his need for time off. "Coach K and I fully support Kevin," he said. "His well-being is the most important thing to us and we support him taking the time to get ready for next season. Hes been part of the national team program for eight years and a big part of the success we have achieved, and we look forward to him being part of our success in the future as well. "We are excited about the opportunity ahead of us and to getting back to work in Chicago on Aug. 14," Colangelo added. "All 15 players are committed to the USA Basketball standard, which is to come together to win gold medals." Fake College Jerseys . The White Sox said Wednesday they acquired left-handed pitching prospect Sean Bierman and infielder Ben Kline, who both played at Class A this season. The White Sox dealt Crain to Tampa Bay on July 29. Cyber Monday College Jerseys . "I never commented to anyone that I wanted out," he explained. "My heart is with this group and making the playoffs." Kesler added that the rumours are "completely false" that he asked to be traded - recently or ever. https://www.fakecollegejerseys.com/ . -- A 25-year-old freelance journalist from British Columbia was formally charged on Thursday with a felony, five days after she was arrested in the United States over allegations she threatened to kill her hockey player boyfriend.ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. - Erik Compton is happy with where he is in golf, and hes not referring to his 5-under 65 on Thursday for a share of the lead in the McGladrey Classic.A return to Sea Island provides an occasion to take stock of how far he has come in the last 13 years, and what Compton refers to as the hurdles he didnt anticipate.Theres a medical term for these hurdles. Its called a second heart transplant.Im almost 35 years old. Ive had a good career in golf, really, he said. Even though Ive had some time off, Ive been able to support myself and have a good life.Compton remarkably earned a PGA Tour card just four years after he drove himself to the hospital while suffering a heart attack, dodging death until he received a second transplant. He now is in his fourth straight season on golfs toughest circuit, and he has shown steady improvement.The next step is to win, and Compton has been around long enough not to get overly excited about a good start.He opened with a pair of birdies in the morning chill on the Seaside Course at Sea Island, dropped only one shot and joined Sea Island resident Brian Harman, Michael Thompson and Will MacKenzie in the lead.Chesson Hadley was among six players one shot behind. More than half of the field was at par or better on a gentle day for scoring.I expect I should win this year. Thats a goal of mine, Compton said. Its always been a goal, but I think every time I get on the course it becomes more of a realistic expectation.Compton first played Sea Island when he competed in the SEC Championship while at Georgia in 2001. A few months later, Compton played in the Walker Cup at nearby Ocean Forest.The first hurdle when he turned pro was realizing that everybody out here is really, really, really, really good. The more serious hurdle was his heart.Compton had his first transplant when he 12 because of cardiomyopathy, an enlarging of the heart that hinders its ability to pump blood. He had his second in 2008 and ended that year by making the cut in the final PGA Tour event.His story never gets old, and Compton is happy to tell it, especially if that means bringing attention to the Donate Life America campaign. He prefers to look ahead, at the next shot, the next tournament, trying to get the most he can out of his game, just like the guys he is trying to beat. Fake College Football Jerseys. ompton has reached the FedEx Cup playoff the last two seasons and advanced to the third round at the BMW Championship last month. In the short off-season, he spent more time in the gym trying to get stronger at the recommendation of former Miami Heat guard Ray Allen.I went to the gym with him a couple of times and played him for some money games in Miami, Compton said. He was just trying to motivate me to get in better shape. So I worked out a little bit. And then just played five or six rounds with him before I went back on the road.Easy money? Compton smiled.I got him five ways one day, he said without mentioning a dollar amount.Compton played on that Walker Cup team with 2009 U.S. Open champion Lucas Glover along with Bryce Molder and D.J. Trahan, who both went on to win on the PGA Tour. The Britain & Ireland team featured former world No. 1 Luke Donald and Graeme McDowell, the U.S. Open champion at Pebble Beach.Comptons hopes were not much different from theirs — turn pro, win tournaments.I think when I was younger, I had some unrealistic expectations, he said. I knew I was a good player. I obviously had some hurdles that I had to deal with in front of me, which I didnt see coming. I didnt know I was going to have to deal with that.Whats real to him now is being a PGA Tour regular. Hes going to the Masters next year for the first time, courtesy of his runner-up finish in the U.S. Open. That remains his biggest highlight in golf.Whats next? Hes curious to find out. Compton is learning not to swing so hard to take advantage of his putting stroke.I just want to get the ball in play and hit on the green and see where I can go, he said. And thats difficult to do in four days, and its proven difficult for a lot of guys who have never won on tour who have great careers. I happen to be one of those guys right now, and I feel like if I can do the things like I did today and get out of my own way, theres no reason I shouldnt continue to progress in this game.DIVOTS: Mark Anderson had the first ace in tournament history, a 4-iron from 212 yards on No. 3. ... Matt Kuchar and Webb Simpson were in the group at 67, while defending champion Chris Kirk opened with a 68. ... McGladrey extended its title sponsorship through 2020. ' ' '