When it began to look as if Laetitia Beck would represent Israel at the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janiero, the second-year LPGA golfer was reminded about the sports very low profile in her country as she inquired about her apparel and equipment for the Games.My Olympic committee doesnt know much about golf, said Beck, Israels only LPGA player. Im responsible for everything. They told me to do what I want as long as its according to the rules, and they would reimburse me. I had to find someone to make my uniform, order a bag and get my hats. Im a very independent person, but it was a little stressful because I want to represent Israel and its culture the right way.With so much attention having been focused on which stars wont compete for various reasons in golfs return to the Olympics after 112 years, players like Beck are a reminder that its a big opportunity -- and a priority -- for others. Although currently ranked outside the top 200 in the Rolex Rankings, Beck was 42nd in the final Olympic qualifying list for the 60-player womens golf field because individual countries are allowed a maximum of four, and in most cases, two, entrants.This is special to me, being able to represent my country and help Israel have a bigger overall Olympic team, said Beck, a two-time golf gold medalist (2009, 2013) at the Maccabiah Games for Jewish athletes. We tend to be big in judo, track and field and wind surfing, but the numbers are pretty small, around 45 people. Being able to be an ambassador for Israel is important. And it will be great to be part of the team.Beck, 24, moved from Belgium to Israel with her family when she was 6 years old. They settled in Caesarea, in the Israeli coastal plain between Tel Aviv and Haifa, home to the countrys only 18-hole golf course, Caesarea Golf Club. From age 8 to 12, golf became part of Becks active sports life along with tennis and soccer.My mom says, I dont how you happened because youre so different from all of us. But Im super athletic and always had very good hand-eye coordination, Beck said. I would play golf twice a week, tennis three times a week and soccer at school. When I was 12, the pro at my club encouraged my mom to sign me up for the Israeli Ladies Championship. I was not good -- I only broke 90 the last round -- but I won in a playoff.Inspired by the victory, Beck dropped other sports and concentrated on golf, becoming a scratch player in a year. At 13, she won the national title by 30 or 40 shots, Becks prowess prompting her family to send her to the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, the following year. Beck continued to improve at the Academy, also the training ground for fellow LPGA players Paula Creamer and Jessica Korda. Beck earned a womens golf scholarship to Duke University, where she was a two-time All-American and a key member of the Blue Devils sixth national championship in 2014. Later that season she tied for 11th at LPGA Q-School.After finishing 111th on the 2015 LPGA money list, Beck has struggled for consistency in 2016 -- she is currently 223rd in earnings -- although she had consecutive top-20 finishes in May at the Yokohama Tire Classic and Kingsmill Championship.I think I have as much talent as the best players, Beck said. With me, it seems to be in my head. Im a long way from my potential, and I think I can beat them all. I want to be the best, but I want to do something with it too.Beck has worked with some golf mental coaches but hasnt found the right fit.Its hard for me. I can get a little tough on people. I definitely need to find someone I can trust.That can take time, as Becks college coach, Dan Brooks, recently told the schools student newspaper, The Chronicle.When she came in as a freshman, I didnt know if she and I were going to make it, Brooks said. I probably have had no greater evolution of a relationship than she and I had. By the time she left, we were real tight and continue to be.Said Beck of her attitude: Im such a big perfectionist. Thats what gets me coming back the next day, to see if I can get better.Now living in a community with a large Jewish population in Miami-Dade County, traveling home to the Middle East for only a few weeks a year, Beck is proud of her heritage.Being the only Israeli golfer out here, I want people to know where I come from, she said.Beck always wears a Star of David necklace and has the symbol stitched on her golf bag, which is in the Israeli colors of blue and white.Im not too religious, Beck said. Its more about the culture than religion. On the high holy days Ill go to temple.Beck bypassed a college tournament in 2001 because it conflicted with Yom Kippur, and she adheres to a Kosher diet.It was interesting at Passover during the Swinging Skirts event this year, she said. No bread and no yeast, and I usually eat pasta and make a peanut butter sandwich or have an energy bar on the course. The only thing I could have was fruit.Diet doesnt figure to be a problem at the Olympics. The news of how Beck fares in Rio will travel back to Israel, if awkwardly.Slowly, there are more articles back home if I do well, Beck said. But the articles are pretty funny because they dont know much about golf. Theyll say things like, She advanced into the final. In judo, you advance.By whatever description, though, Beck will be glad to be there representing her country.The first time I was at the Maccabiah Games, when I was 13, the opening ceremony was very emotional, she said. 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There are some early surprises in the race for the Hart Trophy, but two of the contenders are the leagues biggest stars over the past decade. There are many more players in contention for the awards than just the three that Ive named, and a good or bad week can easily alter the landscape, but through the first 20 or so games of the NHL season, this is how the awards races look to me.MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- The support of a handful of old high school buddies, the calming influence of a veteran caddie and timely putting were exactly what Harris English needed to pull out his first PGA Tour victory. English won the St. Jude Classic on Sunday, birdieing two of the final three holes to hold off Phil Mickelson and Scott Stallings by two strokes. "I had probably 10 high school friends out there today," English said. "And I know that if I make a birdie or a bogey, theyre probably going to be the same and theyre rooting me on. I was just really relaxed out there today. Bogeyed eight and nine, which was tough. But I knew if I kept it together on the back nine, I could make a run at the thing." The 23-year-old former Georgia star in his second year on tour survived a final round where he had six birdies and five bogeys. He finished with a 1-under 69 for a 12-under 268 total to get the victory in the same state where he helped Baylor in Chattanooga win four Tennessee high school golf titles. English said caddie Brian Smith also helped him refocus as he made the turn. "I really didnt think Id be in this seat right here coming off 9," English said. "I thought I kind of made some really dumb bogeys on eight, nine and kind of shot myself out of the tournament. But Smitty was saying, Hey lets go beat this back nine. Lets get back under par for the tournament for the day, and lets get after it. So it was almost pedal to the metal." English got four of his birdies on the back nine and saw on No. 14 that he was the lead at 10 under. He made a 5-foot birdie putt on No. 16 to tie Stallings for the lead, but Stallings bogeyed No. 18 to give English the lead to himself. English made a 17-foot birdie putt on No. 17, and overcame shaking hands as he two-putted No. 18 to pick up the winners check of $1,026,000. "Its quite an unbelievable feeling," English said. Mickelson shot a 67, and Stallings had a 68. Mickelson said English finished strong and has been playing some great golf, but the four-time major winner got most of what he wanted after not playing the previous three weeks as he tuned up for the U.S. Open at Merion Golf Club. "Im really encouraged with the way I hit my irons," Mickelson said. "Got to get the 3-wood in play a little bit more, although next week at Merion distance wont be as critical as TPC Southwind. Ill be able to hit higher and softer shots." English became the fourth player to win the event in his first start since the tournament moved to TPC Southwind in 1989 and the second straight after Dustin Johnson a year ago. David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., was the top Canadian. He shot 1 under Sunday to finish tied for 18th at 4-under 276. Calgarys Stephen Ames (71) and Ottawas Brad Fritsch (73) finished tied for 56th at 2-over 282. English won the Southern Amateur in 2011 and was an amateur when he won on the Web.ddddddddddddcom Tour at the Nationwide Childrens Hospital Invitational in July 2011. He moved to the PGA Tour in 2012 and finished 79th on the money list. Now he has his fourth top 10 this year and a precious invitation to the Masters for the Georgia native. It looked as if Stallings, a two-time winner on tour, would add his third win in three years when he took advantage of consecutive bogeys by English on Nos. 8 and 9 to go up by three strokes. Stallings was 12 under at the turn with four birdies on the front side. But he finished with a double bogey, a birdie and a bogey in his final four holes. "You have to learn from the experiences that you have like this today and hopefully Ill get a little bit better break next time," Stallings said. Shawn Stefani, a 31-year-old rookie from Texas, went into the final round with a one-stroke lead, had a 76 to drop into a tie for seventh at 6 under. English, playing with Stefani in the final group, rallied after his consecutive bogeys. He birdied No. 10, rolling in a 14-footer from the fringe, and hit his tee shot within 5 feet on the par-3 11th for his second straight birdie and fourth of the round. His fifth bogey of the day, at No. 12, moved him back to 10 under. Stallings went to 11 under with a birdie on the par-5 16th but missed his own birdie attempt from the same distance a couple feet away on the green, which cost him when English birdied No. 16 a few minutes later to tie him again atop the leaderboard. English then birdied No. 17 when he was just trying to get close. "It went in dead centre and gave me a lot of momentum going into 18," English said. On No. 18, Stallings hit his tee shot way right between the fairway bunkers and the cart path and put his approach into the right rough 83 feet away. His chip just reached the edge of the green, leaving him nearly 40 feet to the hole. He ran it 5 feet past the hole for a bogey. "Harris has played great coming down the stretch," Stallings said. Mickelson birdied Nos. 13 and 16, but he just missed a 13-footer for birdie on the par-4 17th. He then went right at the hole on No. 18 from 151 yards and just missed, leaving a 2-foot birdie putt to tie Stallings at 10 under. English then finished off the win and celebrated with a simple fist pump. Notes: The others to win in their first trip to this event at TPC Southwind were Lee Westwood (2010) and Dicky Pride (1994). ... English is the 11th American to win this event since 2000 and the seventh to come from behind in the last eight years here. ... English is the eighth player in his 20s to win this year compared to 15 last year. ... Brad Fritsch finished the tournament in style, holing out from the 18th fairway from 177 yards out. That put him at even par and tied for 56th. ' ' '