Columbiana's Wiggins places 4th in tourney

Columbiana’s Wiggins places 4th in tourney

ASHLAND

Bruce William Wiggins of Columbiana shot a 4-over 75 to tie for third in the 16-19 age group at Friday’s Northeast Ohio PGA Junior tournament at Brookside Golf Course.

Luke Dorman of Broadview Heights was first with a 71.

In the girls 8-10 age group, Madison Murphy of Canfield shot a 12-over 50 over nine holes to place first. Michael Porter of McDonald placed third in the boys 11-12 group with an 18-over 53.

Earnhardt Jr. backs Confederate flag ban

SONOMA, Calif.

Dale Earnhardt Jr., NASCAR’s most popular driver, called the Confederate flag “offensive to an entire race” Friday while voicing his support for it being removed from the grounds of the South Carolina Statehouse.

NASCAR this week said it backs South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley’s call to remove the Confederate flag from the grounds, and noted that it bars the flag symbol in any official NASCAR capacity. Earnhardt backed NASCAR’s position when asked about the issue before practice at Sonoma Raceway.

“I’ve made my comments about the Confederate flag several times, and I stand behind NASCAR’s stance to remove it,” Earnhardt said. “I think if it’s offensive to an entire race, it really does nothing for anybody to be there flying. It belongs in the history books, that’s about it.”

Djokovic avoids rivals in Wimbledon draw

LONDON

Defending champion Novak Djokovic avoided his three biggest traditional rivals in the Wimbledon draw on Friday as the other members of tennis’ “Big Four” were all placed on the opposite side.

Serena Williams had no such luck in the women’s draw, where she may have to get past a trio of former No. 1s — sister Venus, Victoria Azarenka and Maria Sharapova — just to get to the final.

The draw at the All England Club set up a number of intriguing possibilities for the upcoming two weeks, especially with former champions Roger Federer, Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal all grouped together in the bottom half of the men’s draw.

In the women’s tournament, top-ranked Williams could come up against sister Venus — also a five-time champion — in the fourth round, Azarenka in the quarterfinals and Sharapova in the semis in a tough upper half of the draw.

Casinos make $1 billion off May-Pac fight

LAS VEGAS

Huge crowds and high rollers in Las Vegas for the Floyd Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao fight helped Nevada casinos make more than $1 billion off gamblers in May, according to records released Friday.

It was the first time casinos exceeded that total in more than a year.

“To hit a billion, we’re pretty pleased,” said Nevada Gaming Control Board analyst Michael Lawton.

Slot machines and tables were packed on fight night, May 2, and casinos responded by raising limits to accommodate big spenders.

Pagenaud takes pole at Auto Club Speedway

FONTANA, Calif.

The Southern California heat did nothing to slow Team Penske.

Simon Pagenaud earned his second career IndyCar pole and teammate Helio Castroneves finished right behind him, giving Team Penske the top two spots in qualifying on a hot Friday afternoon at Auto Club Speedway.

“It’s awesome to get the opportunity to run up front on ovals,” Pagenaud said. “Team Penske and Chevy are giving me the opportunity to do so.”

The Fontana race had been at night and served as the season finale each of the past three seasons, but a date change threw a wrench into car setups and driving conditions on the 2-mile oval.

Though there was cloud cover and smoke from nearby wildfires, temperatures were in the low 90s for Friday’s qualifying, making it more essential for drivers to find the right seams on the track.

Vindicator staff/wire reports