WYNDHAM CHAMPIONSHIP
Slocum, Langley share lead at Wyndham
GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) β Heath Slocum and Scott Langley each shot 5-under 65 for the second straight day Friday to share the lead in the Wyndham Championship.
Brian Stuard, Nick Watney, Martin Laird and Andrew Svoboda were a stroke back. Watney and Svoboda shot 64, Stuard had a 65 and Laird a 66.
Ryo Ishikawa had the best round of the day β a 62 that was one stroke off the course record and included six birdies on the back nine.
Since the tournament returned to Sedgefield Country Club in 2008, every two-day leader until now had been at 11 under or better.
NASCAR-MICHIGAN-QUALIFYING
Gordon sets qualifying mark at Michigan
BROOKLYN, Mich. (AP) β Jeff Gordon broke the Michigan International Speedway qualifying record Friday, taking the pole for the NASCAR Sprint Cup race Sunday with a speed of 206.558 mph.
Speeds at MIS have been climbing ever since the two-mile oval was repaved before the 2012 season. Kevin Harvick set the qualifying record in June at 204.557, but drivers breezed past that mark Friday, and Gordon emerged with his second straight pole. He qualified first last weekend at Watkins Glen but finished 34th, giving up the series points lead to Dale Earnhardt Jr.
It’s the 76th pole of Gordon’s career and the seventh-fastest pole-winning speed in the history of NASCAR’s top series.
Joey Logano qualified second, followed by Carl Edwards, Brian Vickers and Brad Keselowski.
US-UNDER 17
US advances to FIBA U17 World final
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) β Malik Newman led the two-time defending champion United States to the FIBA Under-17 World Championship final, scoring 15 points in an 89-68 victory over Serbia on Friday.
Newman is from Jackson, Mississippi. Diamond Stone of Milwaukee added 12 points, and Harry Giles of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, had 10 points and 12 rebounds.
The United States, 22-0 in the history of the tournament that also was played in 2010 and 2012, will face Australia in a rematch of the 2012 title game. Australia beat Spain 80-74.
NASCAR-NATIONWIDE
Hornish hoping to finally win in his home state
LEXINGTON, Ohio (AP) β Thanks to a fast finish a year ago and his Ohio roots, Sam Hornish Jr. is looking forward to Saturday’s NASCAR Nationwide series race at Mid-Ohio.
Hornish, from Defiance in Ohio’s northwest corner, went to races at Mid-Ohio as a fan and wants nothing more than to finally break through with a win on the twisting road course midway between Cleveland and Columbus. His odds improved when AJ Allmendinger, who won the inaugural Nationwide race at Mid-Ohio a year ago, and top contender Kyle Busch elected to focus on the Sprint Cup race in Michigan this weekend.
Hornish, driving Joe Gibbs Racing’s Monster Energy Toyota, was third during Friday’s practice behind Justin Marks and Chris Buescher. Qualifying is Saturday morning, with the race later in the day.
EAST CAROLINA PREVIEW
East Carolina takes high-scoring act to new league
GREENVILLE, N.C. (AP) β East Carolina is bringing its high-scoring offense to a new conference, along with the goal of topping what was the program’s best season in two decades.
The Pirates, 10-3 last year, have left Conference USA for the American Athletic Conference with a returning quarterback, a record-chasing receiver and a defense aiming to build of last season’s improvement.
Senior quarterback Shane Carden, a 4,000-yard passer, said this year’s success depends on the Pirates’ mental approach. He says the Pirates have to prepare every week “like it’s a championship game.”
East Carolina won 10 games for the first time since 1991, including road romps against Atlantic Coast Conference programs North Carolina and North Carolina State.
