Castroneves upsets AGR for Mid-Ohio pole

Lexington, OH (Sports Network) - Brazilian Helio Castroneves beat out five other drivers, including all four Andretti Green Racing teammates, in the "Firestone Fast Six" to capture the pole for Sunday's inaugural The Honda 200 at Mid-Ohio IndyCar race. The No.3 Penske Racing Honda driver circled the 2.258-mile road course in one minute, 06.8375 seconds.
The pole victory was Castroneves' sixth of the season and 23rd of his IndyCar career.
"This team is fantastic, they never let me down," said a happy Castroneves. "We've been struggling a little bit."... Full Story

Raikkonen wins pole, Hamilton crashes

Nurburg, Germany (Sports Network) - Kimi Raikkonen captured the pole for Sunday's Grand Prix of Europe Formula One race. The No.6 Ferrari circled the 3.217 miles, 13-turn, road course in one minute, 31.450 seconds to edge out two-time World Champion Fernando Alonso.
However, the most important fact of the day was not the pole win by Raikkonen, but the fact that points leader Lewis Hamilton put his car into a tire wall. It appears that a right-front tire failure was the cause of the incident. Hamilton was taken to the medical center by ambulance but did give a wave to the fans from the stretcher...Full Story

Eschauer, Darcis to meet in Dutch Open final

Amersfoort, Netherlands (Sports Network) - Werner Eschauer of Austria and Belgian Steve Darcis posted semifinal victories on Saturday at the Dutch Open.
Eschauer, who upset third seed Carlos Moya in the quarterfinals, whipped Dutchman Robin Haase 6-4, 6-4 to advance to his first-ever final that will take place Sunday.
Haase was worn out after completing his quarterfinal matchup against Frenchman Florent Serra on Saturday after it was suspended in the first set because of rain on Friday. When play resumed on Saturday, Haase battled from behind to take out Serra 4-6, 7-5, 6-4.
Eschauer's opponent in the final will be Darcis, who came from behind and stunned second seed Mikhail Youzhny 4-6, 6-0, 7-5.

Muller, Szavay to meet in Palermo final

Palermo, Italy (Sports Network) - Martina Muller and Agnes Szavay will meet in the final of the Palermo Open after both were victorious in their semifinal matches on Saturday.
Muller, the second-seed from Germany, needed three sets to oust Italian Karin Knapp, 6-4, 4-6, 6-1.
Szavay, the third-seed from Poland, dominated a first-set tiebreaker with Italian Sara Errani to win 7-6 (7-0), 6-1 and reach her first career final.
Szavay and Muller have squared off once before, with Szavay winning in the quarterfinal round at Modena.

Nadal moves into Stuttgart final

Stuttgart, Germany (Sports Network) - Top-seeded Rafael Nadal advanced to the final at the Mercedes Cup after posting a victory in the semifinals on Saturday.
Nadal, who won this title in 2005, defeated fellow Spaniard Feliciano Lopez, 6-1, 7-5. Nadal has now won 92 of his last 93 matches on clay and is aiming for his sixth title of the year and 23rd overall.
Nadal will meet Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland in Sunday's final after Wawrinka upset seventh-seeded Juan Ignacio Chela of Argentina 6-7 (2-7), 6-4, 6-1.
Wawrinka has just one ATP title to his credit, capturing the crown last year in Umag.
Nadal and Wawrinka have met just once before with the Spaniard winning at this year's Australian Open.

2007 British Open Third Round News & Notes

Carnoustie, Scotland (Sports Network) - Any golf fan who went to Carnoustie would dream of an opportunity to meet the two-time defending champion and world No. 1, Tiger Woods.
A 60-year-old woman had that chance on Saturday at the sixth hole.
It could have gone better.
Woods missed his second shot well right at the par-five hole. His ball struck the woman in the head and Woods went over to check on her before hitting his third.
"I went over there and the lady was bleeding all over the place," said Woods. "I felt really bad. I've done that before. You don't ever feel good about it. You have kind of a pit in your stomach...Full Story

Mi Hyun Kim, Miyazato head to quarters in Match Play

New Rochelle, NY (Sports Network) - Mi Hyun Kim carded a 3 & 2 win over Rachel Hetherington in Saturday's third round at the HSBC Women's World Match Play Championship at Wykagyl Country Club.
Kim, who is the highest remaining seed at No. 10, moves on to face Jee Young Lee, who beat Laura Diaz 2-up. Just five holes were won in the Hetherington- Kim match, with Kim winning four of them, including three in a five-hole stretch from the 12th.
Lee led 1-up around the turn, but Diaz squared things with a par on 13. Diaz bogeyed 15 and 16 to fall 2-down and they split 17 and 18 giving Lee the 2-up victory...Full Story

Woods' sliced shot results in spectator needing 2 stitches to head

CARNOUSTIE, Scotland (AP) -- A woman was hit in the head by Tiger Woods' ball when he sliced an approach at the British Open on Saturday. She needed two stitches to close the wound.
Jennifer Wilson, from Antrim, Northern Ireland, was treated by medical staff after being driven away in a golf cart. Woods had earlier apologized and given the 63-year-old an autographed glove.
Wilson was struck just short of the green at the par 5 sixth hole at Carnoustie, where she was standing with her husband... Full Story

Swedish golfer fined $1,028 for whacking tee marker

CARNOUSTIE, Scotland (AP) -- Sweden's Henrik Stenson was fined more than $1,000 for whacking a tee marker on the eighth hole at the British Open.
Stenson swung at the marker in disgust after a poor shot Friday, taking out half of it. He was fined 500 pounds -- the equivalent of $1,028 -- under the European Tour's disciplinary procedure.
Stenson made triple bogey on the par-3 hole and wound up shooting a 5-over 76. He missed the cut by one stroke.

Ochoa rolls at Match Play

New Rochelle, NY (Sports Network) - Women's World No. 1 Lorena Ochoa rolled to a 6 & 5 win over Ashleigh Simon in Thursday's opening round of the HSBC Women's World Match Play Championship at Wykagyl Country Club.Ochoa, who beat Paula Creamer to take third in this event last year, already has racked up three wins in the 2007 season.As Ochoa advanced, several big names went down. Second-seeded Karrie Webb watched as 63rd-seeded Charlotte Mayorkas birdied the 18th for a 1-up win...Full Story

McGinley in front early at Carnoustie

Carnoustie, Scotland (Sports Network) - Ireland's Paul McGinley shot a four- under-par 67 on Thursday to grab the clubhouse lead during the first round of the British Open Championship at Carnoustie.Former U.S. Open champion Michael Campbell birdied the 17th hole to post a three-under 68. Markus Brier, Lucas Glover, an alternate who got in when Shingo Katayama withdrew earlier in the week, and 1995 champion John Daly are three-under par on the course.Tiger Woods, the two-time defending champion, managed a two-under-par 69 and is two behind McGinley in his quest to become the first player to win three consecutive claret jugs since Peter Thomson did it from 1954-56....Full Story

Labonte to replace Waltrip at Brickyard

Cornelius, NC (Sports Network) - Terry Labonte will replace Michael Waltrip in the No. 55 Toyota for next weekend's Allstate 400 at the Brickyard.
This will be the second time that the two-time Nextel Cup Series champion Labonte is replacing Waltrip, who cited the opportunity to evaluate his racing team as the reason for replacing himself behind the wheel.
"While we've planned to bring Terry back for the Watkins Glen road course event, I felt having him in the car next weekend at Indianapolis would be a great opportunity for me to continue to evaluate my entire organization from an owner's perspective," Waltrip said. "The feedback related to road-course racing that Terry was able to provide my team after Infineon Raceway was very valuable. We look forward to more of the same input after Indy."...Full Story

Muller advances in Palermo

Palermo, Italy (Sports Network) - Martina Muller of Germany was a second- round winner Tuesday at the Internazionali Open.
The second-seeded Muller posted a 6-2, 6-1 rout of Spain's Conchita Martinez Granados. Muller is the highest remaining seeded player in the clay court event after top-seeded Michaella Krajicek was upset on Monday.
A pair of Italians were also cruised into the next round, as wild card Sara Errani toppled Czech qualifier Eva Birnerova, 6-2, 6-0 and Flavia Pennetta easily knocked off Romania's Edina Gallovits by a 6-3, 6-1 final.
Germany's Tatjana Malek closed out the first round matches with a 6-2, 7-5 victory over Hungary's Kira Nagy.

Youzhny highlights second-round winners at Dutch Open

Amersfoort, Netherlands (Sports Network) - Second-seeded Russian Mikhail Youzhny cruised in second-round action of the Dutch Open Wednesday.
Youzhny easily downed Romanian Victor Hanescu, 6-4, 6-2, on the red clay of Sportlokaal de Bokkeduinen.
Youzhny is the highest remaining seeded player after top seeded Russian Nikolay Davydenko was ousted in the first round on Tuesday.
Fellow Russian Evgeny Korolev, Frenchman Florent Serra and Robin Haase, of the Netherlands, were also second-round winners on Wednesday.
Korolev beat Sergio Roitman, of Argentina, 7-5, 7-6 (8-6), and Serra ousted local favorite Thiemo de Bakker, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7-5). Haase downed France's Nicolas Devilder, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3.

Rose trying to end British Open slump

CARNOUSTIE, Scotland (AP) -- Justin Rose failed to qualify for the past three British Opens. Now he's back and hoping to end an eight-year shutout in majors for British golfers.
Paul Lawrie's victory at Carnoustie in 1999 was the last time any British -- or European -- golfer won a major, and that has become almost as embarrassing to the locals as Colin Montgomerie's failure to win even one.
The return to Carnoustie has fueled hopes of a British repeat here, and Rose appears to be the leading candidate. He tied for fifth at the Masters and 10th at the U.S. Open after being close to the lead early in both.
"Having played well in the last two majors, beginning to believe that's where I belong and just that alone makes it much easier to go out there and let it happen," Rose said Wednesday...Full Story

Wie to play in Evian Masters, Women's British Open

ST. ANDREWS, Scotland (AP) -- It looks as though Michelle Wie will be playing at the birthplace of golf after all.
Wie, who's been trying to work through her struggles in central Florida, plans to enter the Women's British Open at St. Andrews on Aug. 2-5.
The 17-year-old Wie also accepted a sponsor exemption into next week's Evian Masters in France, her first tournament since she withdrew from the U.S. Women's Open in June because of a sore left wrist.
Once viewed as the future of women's golf, Wie was 17 over and on her way to another score in the 80s when she quit at Pine Needles. She has withdrawn from two of her last three tournaments, managing to complete only seven rounds this year with an average score of just under 78.
Wie has not broken par in competition since the final round of the Evian last year, a total of 23 rounds.

Olazabal pulls out of British Open

Carnoustie, Scotland (Sports Network) - Jose Maria Olazabal has withdrawn from the British Open Championship.
Olazabal, a two-time Masters champion, has not played since last month's U.S. Open at Oakmont. He has battled a knee injury that forced him to withdraw from events in France and Scotland the last two weeks.
His best finish at the British Open was a third in 1992 and a tie for third two years ago at St. Andrews. In 1999 when the British Open was last played at Carnoustie, Olazabal missed the cut...Full Story

Nadal, Ferrer cruise in Mercedes Cup openers

Stuttgart, Germany (Sports Network) - Spaniards Rafael Nadal and defending champion David Ferrer were among the first-round winners Tuesday at the Mercedes Cup.
The top-seeded Nadal rolled to a 6-1, 6-1 victory over Germany's Alexander Waske, while the fourth-seeded Ferrer breezed past Slovakian qualifier Lukas Lacko, 6-2, 6-2.
It was total domination for Nadal, who needed just 73 minutes to advance. The Spaniard, who won this title in 2005, saved both break points he faced and went on to improve to 27-1 on clay this year. He has won 89 of his last 90 matches on the slow surface.
Ferrer, meanwhile, won in just 51 minutes. He is coming off a victory last week at the clay tournament in Bastad...Full Story

Pistons sign Samb

Auburn Hills, MI (Sports Network) - The Detroit Pistons signed center Cheick Samb on Tuesday.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Samb, 22, was the 51st pick of the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2006 draft and his right were then traded to the Pistons in exchange for forward Maurice Evans.
"We're happy to add Cheick Samb as a member of our organization," said Pistons president of basketball operations Joe Dumars. "Cheick has intriguing potential and our intention is to bring him along slowly."
The Senegalese native spent last season playing in the Spanish League, averaging 9.6 points with WTC Cornella. In the recently concluded 2007 Summer League, the seven-footer averaged 7.0 points and 5.4 rebounds.

Orlando is still on the outside looking in

(Sports Network) - The addition of Rashard Lewis does not make the Orlando Magic a team that will be feared in the Eastern Conference. He is a scorer, but will not be a difference maker.
Lewis, who turns 28 on August 8th, is coming off the best campaign of his nine-year career and was awarded with a lucrative contract. He averaged 22.4 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 60 games this past season for the SuperSonics, who originally selected Lewis out of Alief Elsik High School in the second round (32nd overall) of the 1998 NBA Draft...Full Story

Pair of upsets highlight Dutch Open

Amersfoort, Netherlands (Sports Network) - Unseeded Frenchman Nicolas Devilder blitzed fifth-seeded Agustin Calleri in the opening round of the Dutch Open Monday.
Devilder needed less than an hour to dispatch the Argentine, 6-3, 6-1 in the clay court tournament.
Meanwhile sixth-seeded Dominik Hrbaty also fell. Evgeny Korolev of Russia dispatched the Slovakian star in three sets, 6-3, 6-7 (3-7), 6-3.
There were no other seeded players scheduled for action Monday.
Other first round winners included hometown favorite Robin Haase, who defeated Spaniard Felix Mantilla, 6-3, 6-2, and Argentine Mariano Zabaleta, who got the best of Kristof Vliegen of Belgium, 6-3, 6-3...Full Story

Lions sign Redding to multi-year deal

Allen Park, MI (Sports Network) - The Detroit Lions have re-signed defensive tackle Cory Redding to a multi-year contract.
Financial terms of the new pact were not released, but the Detroit Free Press cited sources as saying it to be a seven-year deal worth close to $50 million with about $16 million guaranteed.
The Lions had designated Redding their non-exclusive franchise player in February and had until Monday afternoon to reach a long-term deal. If not, Redding would have had to play the 2007 campaign under a one-year contract.
Redding will enter his fifth season with the Lions, who selected him in the third round of the 2003 NFL Draft. He has played 55 consecutive games for the club, including 48 straight starts.
The 6-foot-4, 290-pound product of the University of Texas was forced to move from defensive end to tackle last season because of various injuries on the line. It proved to be a positive development.
After playing five games at end, he started the next 11 games at under tackle and tied for the league high among defensive tackles with eight sacks. Redding entered the 2006 season with a total of four sacks for his career.
During his four-year career at Texas, Redding was a two-time All-Big 12 selection. He finished his collegiate career with 201 tackles, including 123 solo, with 21 sacks.

Warriors sign Belinelli

Oakland, CA (Sports Network) - The Golden State Warriors announced Monday the signing of guard Marco Belinelli, the team's first-round pick in this year's draft. Terms of the deal were not released.
The Warriors selected Belinelli with the 18th overall pick. The 6-foot-5 guard from Bologna, Italy recently averaged 22.8 points for Golden State's summer league team.
Belinelli has played the past five seasons professionally in Italy and last year averaged 16.4 points per game with Fortitudo Bologna in Serie A, the top professional league in Italy.

2007 British Open Championship Preview

Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - Needless to say, the last time Carnoustie hosted the British Open Championship, it was quite a memorable tournament.
The year was 1999 and you might remember a certain obscure Frenchman named Jean van de Velde coming to the 72nd hole of the tournament three shots ahead of the equally unknown Paul Lawrie and Justin Leonard, the Open Champion two years prior.
From there, most Americans remember the sound of ABC's Curtis Strange calmly losing his mind as Van de Velde made a complete mess of the 18th at Carnoustie.
Not just any mess, but one marred by horrible shot-making and even worse decisions. Who could forget Van de Velde, pants rolled up his leg, trying to pull off a miracle shot from the burn? What most don't recall is that Van de Velde ended up holing a seven-footer for triple-bogey just to get into the playoff...Full Story

Rags to Riches to miss Coaching Club American Oaks

Elmont, NY (Sports Network) - Belmont Stakes winner Rags to Riches will not make her return to the races in Saturday's $300,000 Coaching Club American Oaks at Belmont Park. The leading three-year-old filly has a fever preventing her from making her first start since winning the Belmont Stakes on June 9.
"Her temperature has been slightly elevated the last couple of mornings and we had to postpone a scheduled breeze that was to take place this morning," said trainer Todd Pletcher. "We will point her towards the Alabama, at Saratoga on August 18."
Only the third filly to capture the Belmont Stakes, Rags to Riches has been perfect this year in five starts while earning more than $1.29 million. She is trained by Pletcher for owners Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith.

Woods, Rose, Lawrie headline British Open pairings

Carnoustie, Scotland (Sports Network) - Two-time defending champion Tiger Woods was paired with Justin Rose and Paul Lawrie for the first two rounds of the 136th British Open Championship, which tees off Thursday at Carnoustie Golf Club.Woods won the last two Open Championships at St. Andrews in 2005 and last year at Royal Liverpool. Lawrie won the last Open played at Carnoustie in 1999.
Rose, playing as an amateur, was the darling of the 1998 British Open at Royal Birkdale, where he shared fourth place behind playoff winner Mark O'Meara.
That threesome will tee off Thursday morning at 9:09 a.m. local time, which is 4:09 a.m. (et). They then tee off Friday at 9:20 a.m. (et)...Full Story

Santoro, Mahut advance in Hall of Fame semis

Newport, RI (Sports Network) - Fifth-seeded Frenchman Nicolas Mahut and countryman No. 4 Fabrice Santoro both advanced in Saturday's semifinal action at the $416,000 Hall of Fame Tennis Championships.
Mahut, who also reached the title match at the Artois Championships falling to four-time champion Andy Roddick this month, downed Dick Norman of Belgium 6-4, 6-7 (2-7), 6-2.
Facing Mahut will be countryman and fourth seed Santoro, who edged South Africa's Wesley Moodie 7-6 (7-2), 6-3. Moody had reached the semifinals after upsetting No. 2 Vincent Spadea on Friday.
Santoro, reaching his first final of the year, will meet Mahut for the first time. Santoro's last championship match appearance was in 2002 when he won in Dubai for his fourth career title.

Kevin Harvick wins USG Durock 300 Busch Series

Joliet, IL (Sports Network) - Kevin Harvick hung around the top-10 for 170 laps before taking his first lead of the race and went on to capture Saturday's USG Durock 300 Busch Series race at the Chicagoland Speedway. The No.21 Richard Childress Chevrolet driver crossed the finish line 1.012 seconds ahead of Matt Kenseth.
The victory was Harvick's third of the season and 29th of his Busch career.
After winning his fourth pole of the season earlier in the day, Denny Hamlin led the 43-car field, comprised of 25 "Cup" drivers, to the green flag for 200 laps of racing.
The No.20 Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet driver led the field through the first caution flag on lap three for a Ryan Newman crash...Full Story

Venus Williams wins; U.S. tied with Russia

Stowe, VT (Sports Network) - Venus Williams battled back in the first and third sets to defeat Nadia Petrova in three sets on Saturday to help the U.S. draw even with Russia in the semifinal showdown between the United States and visiting Russia after the first day of their Fed Cup semifinal matchup at Stowe's Stadium at Topnotch.
Williams, the 2007 Wimbledon champion, trailing 3-4 in the second, came back to with the next three games and walk away with a 7-6, 0-6, 6-4 win.
For the match, Petrova converted on 3-of-3 break points, while Williams was 0-3.
Earlier of Saturday, Russia's Anna Chakvetadze defeated U.S.'s Vania King 6-1, 6-3....Full Story

Eaks grabs first at Dick's Sporting Goods Open

Endicott, NY (Sports Network) - R.W. Eaks used an ace, an eagle and six birdies to fire a 10-under 62 on Saturday and move into the lead after two rounds of the inaugural Dick's Sporting Goods Open.
He finished 36 holes at 11-under-par 133 and is one clear at En-Joie Golf Club, the host course of the former B.C. Open on the PGA Tour.
Bruce Vaughan shot an eight-under 64 in round two and is alone in second place at minus-10.
Scott Hoch finished with four birdies in his last five holes to shoot a six- under 66. The first-round co-leader has third place at nine-under-par 135, one shot better than Craig Stadler, another overnight leader...Full Story

Dolphins WR Chambers drove while impaired

Miami, FL (Sports Network) - Miami Dolphins wide receiver Chris Chambers was arrested in Charlotte, North Carolina early Saturday and charged with driving while impaired, a Miami newspaper reported.
The Miami Herald reported on its website Saturday that Chambers, the Dolphins' top receiver, was arrested at 2:31 a.m. in Charlotte and released on a $1,750 bond.
This continues a less-than-stellar offseason for Dolphins players, as Chambers is the third Miami player to be arrested since the end of last season. Joey Porter, a free-agent addition, was arrested after punching Bengals tackle Levi Jones in a Las Vegas casino in March, and defensive tackle Fred Evans was arrested in Miami on June 23 for disorderly conduct, resisting arrest with violence, battery on a police officer and trespassing, according to the Herald...Full Story

Artest, Jackson suspended seven games

New York, NY (Sports Network) - The National Basketball League suspended Sacramento's Ron Artest and Golden State's Stephen Jackson seven games without pay each for their recent off-the-court troubles with the law.
Jackson was suspended for pleading guilty to criminal recklessness, in violation of the law of the State of Indiana.
Ron Artest was suspended without pay for seven games for pleading nolo contendre to infliction of injury on a spouse, in violation of the law of the State of California.
Both suspensions will commence with the first game of the 2007-08 NBA regular season.

Mauresmo defeated; Italy tied with France

Castellaneta Marina, Italy (Sports Network) - Francesca Schiavone stunned former world No. 1 Amelie Mauresmo in straight sets Saturday to help Italy draw even with France after the first day of their Fed Cup semifinal matchup at Nova Yardina.
Schiavone, the 31st-ranked player in the world, followed a strong first set and an early break in the second to escape with the 7-5, 6-3 win. The Italian broke Mauresmo, the sixth ranked player, to go ahead 1-0 in the second and held serve the rest of the way on the red clay.
Earlier in the day, France's Tatiana Golovin defeated Italy's Tathiana Garbin, 6-3, 2-6, 6-2...Full Story

Mickelson moves one clear at Loch Lomond

Glasgow, Scotland (Sports Network) - Phil Mickelson carded a three-under 68 Saturday to move one stroke clear of the field after three rounds of the Scottish Open.
Mickelson completed 54 holes at 12-under-par 201. Gregory Havret, who shared the second-round lead, managed a one-under 70 and is one stroke back at minus-11.
Steve Webster used a third-round 69 to move into third place at nine-under-par 204. Louis Oosthuizen fired the round of the day with his seven-under 64. That moved him from 52nd place, which was the cut line of minus-one, into a share of fourth at minus-eight. He was joined there by Phillip Archer (69).
Ernie Els, a two-time winner here, shares sixth at seven-under-par 206 with Mikko Ilonen and Jose Manuel Lara, who led with Havret after round two....Full Story

Nets agree to terms with Magloire

East Rutherford, NJ (Sports Network) - The New Jersey Nets have agreed in principle with free agent forward/center Jamaal Magloire on a contract, team President Rod Thorn announced today. Per club policy, terms of the deal were not released and the agreement is contingent on Magloire passing a required physical.
"We are very pleased to add Jamaal to our roster," Thorn said. "He is an experienced low post player who will add depth to our frontcourt rotation."
The 29-year-old veteran, and 2004 All-Star selection, averaged 6.5 points and 6.1 rebounds in 81 games for the Portland Trail Blazers last season.
Magloire, who was selected with the 19th overall pick in the 2000 NBA draft by the Charlotte Hornets out of Kentucky, is averaging 9.1 points and 7.5 rebounds in seven seasons with Charlotte/New Orleans, Milwaukee Bucks and Portland.

Hamlin hustles around Chicagoland for pole

Joliet, IL (Sports Network) - Denny Hamlin won the pole for this afternoon's USG Durock 300 Busch Series race at the Chicagoland Speedway. The No.20 Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet driver circled the 1.5-mile oval in 30.083 seconds (179.503 m.p.h.).
The pole victory was Hamlin's fourth of the season and 10th of his Busch career.
Starting with Hamlin on the front row will be series points leader Carl Edwards who posted a time of 30.114 seconds.
Edwards is the man to beat in 2007 as he jogs to his first Busch Series championship. On the back of 15 top-10s and a series-leading four wins, Edwards has a stranglehold on the driving title - by 798 points. The all-time winning margin is 824 points which Kevin Harvick set last year...Full Story

Ferrer, Soderling win Bastad openers

Bastad, Sweden (Sports Network) - Second-seeded Spaniard David Ferrer and fellow countryman Nicolas Almagro advanced to the Swedish Open final with semifinal wins on Saturday.
Ferrer needed just over an hour to cruise past fifth-seeded Italian Filippo Volandri, 6-2, 6-1, while Almagro defeated fourth-seeded countryman Carlos Moya, 6-3, 1-6, 6-2, on the clay court.
After splitting the first two sets, Almagro broke Moya in the second game of the third set and jumped out to a 4-1 lead. Moya, the 2002 champion at this event, missed out on a break point in the seventh game that would have drawn him within 4-3, but Almagro held and broke Moya for the win...Full Story

Mathieu, Seppi advance to Swiss Open final

Gstaad, Switzerland (Sports Network) - Fifth-seeded Frenchman Paul-Henri Mathieu and Italian Andreas Seppi advanced to the final of the Swiss Open Gstaad by recording semifinal wins on Saturday.
Mathieu, the only seeded player remaining, downed Czech qualifier Radek Stepanek, 6-3, 6-4, while Seppi stopped Russian Igor Andreev, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (7-5) on the red clay of Roy Emerson Arena.
Seppi downed Andreev, a former finalist at this event, for the first time in five meetings. Sunday will mark his first final appearance, becoming the first Italian to advance to the title match at this tournament since Adriano Panatta in 1976....Full Story

Dixon wins IndyCar qualifying in Nashville

Lebanon, TN (Sports Network) - Scott Dixon captured the pole for Saturday night's Firestone Indy 200 at the Nashville Superspeedway. The No.9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing driver circled the 1.333-mile oval in 22.8947 seconds (204.414 m.p.h.).
The pole victory was Dixon's second of the season and eighth of his IndyCar career. Dixon, the defending Firestone Indy 200 champion, won last week's road course race at Watkins Glen, his third in a row at the upstate New York site.
"The car has been fast all weekend," said Dixon. "It's good for what we need. You know we need to put the pressure on the AGR guys any time we can, leading sessions and leading qualifying. Hopefully we'll have a good car in the race tomorrow."...Full Story

Allred, Summerhays share lead in Columbus

Columbus, OH (Sports Network) - Jason Allred posted a three-under 68 Friday to move into a share of the lead after two rounds of the Children's Hospital Invitational.
Allred stands atop the leaderboard at five-under-par 137 with amateur Daniel Summerhays, who shot 69 on Friday.
Richard Johnson (69) shares third place at minus-three with Kelly Grunewald (71) and first-round leader Chris Nallen (72).
Allred tripped out of the gate with a three-putt bogey on the first. He recovered that lost stroke with a two-putt birdie on the par-five fourth.
The 27-year-old Allred moved to three-under with a four-foot birdie putt on the seventh on the Scarlet Course of Ohio State University Golf Club....Full Story

Stadler, Hoch and Spittle lead new Champions event

Endicott, NY (Sports Network) - Craig Stadler, Scott Hoch and Rod Spittle each shot three-under 69 Friday to take the lead at a new Champions Tour event, the Dick's Sporting Goods Open.
They led a group of seven players who were tied at two-under 70.
The new event swept into En-Joie Golf Club this year after the PGA Tour's B.C. Open, a longtime staple of that circuit's schedule, was lifted this season, leaving the area without a professional golf tournament.
Stadler played in his first B.C. Open in 1977 and posted six top-10 finishes in 13 starts, eventually winning it in 2003 -- his last victory on the PGA Tour.
He's glad there is still a professional stop at En-Joie....Full Story

Se Ri Pak on cruise control in Ohio

Sylvania, OH (Sports Network) - Se Ri Pak posted a three-under 68 Friday, but it was enough to push her lead to five strokes after two rounds of the Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic.
Pak, a four-time winner at this event, completed 36 holes at 11-under-par 131, which tied Kelly Robbins' 1997 record.
Jin Young Pak, who is playing in just her fourth event this year, shot a 69 to move into second place at six-under-par 136.
Carri Wood (69) and Meg Mallon (65) are one back at minus-five. Kraft Nabisco winner Morgan Pressel and Jimin Kang share fifth at four-under-par 138.
Se Ri Pak parred her first five holes Friday, then finally got on the board with a six-foot birdie putt on the sixth. Pak came right back with a five-foot birdie effort on the seventh at Highland Meadows Golf Club....Full Story

Green shoots 63, leads John Deere Classic

Silvis, IL (Sports Network) - The John Deere Classic has seen the likes of Nathan Green before. Every year, it seems, somebody make this tournament his first PGA Tour win.
On Friday, Green set off on becoming the latest first-time winner by firing an eight-under 63 to take the second-round lead at TPC Deere Run.
A 32-year-old Australian playing just his second season on the PGA Tour, Green is looking to follow in the footsteps of countrymen Mark Hensby and John Senden, who both made the John Deere Classic their first win in the last three seasons.
Seven of the last 10 champions have been first-timers...Full Story

Spadea falls in Hall of Fame quarters

Newport, RI (Sports Network) - South African Wesley Moodie upended second- seeded and former finalist Vincent Spadea in Friday's quarterfinal action at the $416,000 Hall of Fame Tennis Championships.
The unseeded Moodie dismissed the American Spadea in 6-4, 6-4 fashion on the grass courts at the International Tennis Hall of Fame. The veteran Spadea reached the final here two years ago, only to lose to Greg Rusedski.
Moodie will meet fourth-seeded Frenchman Fabrice Santoro, who cruised past Mischa Zverev 6-4,6-3.
Fifth-seeded Frenchman Nicolas Mahut secured a berth in the final four by handling Indian qualifier Prakash Amritraj 6-4, 7-6 (7-4), while big Belgian Dick Norman outlasted qualifier and fellow non-seed Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi of Pakistan 6-4, 3-6, 6-4. Mahut and the 6-foot-8 Norman will square off in Saturday's other semi.

King will open for U.S. against Russia in Fed Cup semis

Stowe, VT (Sports Network) - American teenager Vania King will face Anna Chakvetadze in Saturday's opening singles rubber in the Fed Cup semifinal showdown between the United States and visiting Russia.
The best-of-five tie will be staged on a hardcourt at Stowe's Stadium at Topnotch on Saturday and Sunday. The USA-Russia winner will meet the France- Italy victor in the World Group final in mid-September.
The 18-year-old King and world No. 8 Chakvetadze will be followed on Saturday by a bout between Wimbledon champion Venus Williams and ninth-ranked Russian Nadia Petrova...Full Story

Mears edges Truex Jr. for pole in Chicago

Joliet, IL (Sports Network) - Casey Mears captured the pole for Sunday's USG Sheetrock 400 at the Chicagoland Speedway. The No.25 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet circled the 1.5-mile oval in 29.580 seconds (182.556 m.p.h.), just 0.013 seconds ahead of Martin Truex Jr.
The pole victory was Mears' first of the season and third of his Nextel Cup career. His last pole was at Indianapolis in 2004.
"It's a great day for the National Guard/GMAC team, the guys have been doing a great job," said Mears. "This is the car that we won Charlotte with so everyone is pretty pumped this weekend."
Truex Jr.'s time was 29.593 seconds (182.476 m.p.h.). Ryan Newman (29.595) and Mark Martin (29.622) will make up row two...Full Story

Andreev ousts Gasquet in Swiss Open quarters

Gstaad, Switzerland (Sports Network) - Former finalist Igor Andreev of Russia upset defending champion Richard Gasquet in Friday's quarterfinal action at the Swiss Open Gstaad.
The 2004 runner-up Andreev, a wild card this week, knocked out the third- seeded Gasquet 7-5, 6-2 on the red clay at Roy Emerson Arena. The French Gasquet was riding a seven-match winning streak at this tournament, including a victory over Spaniard Feliciano Lopez in last year's finale.
Gasquet reached the semifinals at Wimbledon last week, only to lose to Swiss great Roger Federer.
Andreev, who will turn 24 on Saturday, posted his ninth career victory against a top-10 player by dousing Gasquet on Day 5. Gasquet made his debut in the top 10 just this week...Full Story