McDowell leads U.S. Open
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. -- Graeme McDowell of Northern Ireland had a 3-under 68 on Friday to take a two-shot lead into the weekend at the U.S. Open. Phil Mickelson shot a tournament-best 66 and joined a shrinking group of five players who have beaten par over two days at Pebble Beach.
McDowell was at 3-under 139, and he made even more friends with a bogey on the final hole. Because of the 10-shot cut rule, that assured 60-year-old Tom Watson two more rounds in what likely will be his final U.S. Open.
Mickelson was joined at 1-under 141 by two-time U.S. Open champion Ernie Els (68), 18-year-old Ryo Ishikawa (71) and Dustin Johnson (70), who has won the last two times in the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.
Tiger Woods had a 1-over 72 that left him seven shots behind. Woods has never won a major when trailing by more than six shots going into the weekend.
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NSIC ponders expansion
ST. PAUL -- The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference board will visit two schools in the Dakotas that have expressed interest in becoming members. The board announced Friday that visits to both Minot State University in North Dakota and the University of Sioux Falls in South Dakota will happen in the fall.
The NSIC is a 14-team, 17-sport, NCAA Division II Conference with teams in Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota. The board is considering an expansion. Minnesota Duluth is a member of the NSIC.
Minot State and the University of Sioux Falls are moving their athletic programs from NAIA to NCAA Division II, and both have expressed interest in the Northern Sun.
Kahne takes Sonoma pole
SONOMA, Calif. -- Kasey Kahne has won the pole at Infineon Raceway by knocking four-time NASCAR Sprint Cup series champion Jimmie Johnson from the top spot.
Kahne will be attempting to defend last year's victory in Sunday's race on the road course. He turned a lap of
93.893 mph around the 10-turn winding course. Johnson typically struggles on road courses, but qualified second with a speed of 93.809 mph.
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Kurt Busch qualified third and was followed by Kevin Harvick, Jeff Gordon and Marcos Ambrose, who many consider the darkhorse pick to win Sunday's race.
Blake retires from NHL
SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Rob Blake of the San Jose Sharks made his decision official on Friday, announcing his retirement from an NHL career that will most likely end at the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Blake, 40, played 20 seasons in the NHL. Blake had a decorated career, helping the Los Angeles Kings advance to the Stanley Cup final in 1993, winning the Norris Trophy for the Kings as the league's top defender in 1998, hoisting the Stanley Cup with Colorado in 2001, and earning an Olympic gold medal for Canada in 2002. He helped San Jose post the top regular-season record in the West in each of his two seasons with the team.
Federer gets tough Wimbledon draw
WIMBLEDON, England -- Roger Federer was handed a tough draw Friday in his bid for a record-equaling seventh Wimbledon title. The defending champion and top-seeded Federer was drawn in the same top half with Andy Roddick, Novak Djokovic and former champion Lleyton Hewitt.
Federer, winner of 16 Grand Slam titles, will open Monday against Colombia's 65th-ranked Alejandro Falla.
In the women's draw, the Williams sisters are seeded to meet again in the final for the fifth time. Top-seeded and three-time champion Serena has former winner Maria Sharapova and French Open runner-up Samantha Stosur in her half. Five-time champion Venus has Belgians Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin, both returning to Wimbledon after coming out of retirement, in her half.
