Westford’s Maddie Smith wins New England Women’s Amateur title

Maddie Smith added to her family’s growing trophy collection Thursday.

The youngest of the Westford golfing sisters, the 17-year-old captured the New England Women’s Amateur Championship at Haverhill Country Club.

Smith birdied the second playoff hole to edge Amelie Phung, a member of eClub of Connecticut. Smith calmly drained an eight-foot putt to earn the championship. Both players parred the first playoff hole.

They were tied with an even-par 180 after nine holes (shortened due to the extreme heat) on Tuesday and 18 on Wednesday and Thursday.

Smith will be a Westford Academy senior in the fall. The Memphis University-bound star doesn’t play as much golf as older sisters Morgan and Molly. Morgan Smith won the New England Women’s Am title in 2022 and 2023 and Molly Smith is also one of the top amateur players in New England.

Maddie Smith captured the MIAA North/Central/West girls sectional championship last month.

— By Barry Scanlon / bscanlon@bostonherald.com

Wrexham opens next season against ex-Premier League side Southampton

MANCHESTER, England >> Wrexham will play relegated Premier League team Southampton in its opening game of the season.

Wrexham will begin its first campaign in 43 years in English soccer’s second tier away at St Mary’s on Aug. 9.

The Welsh team has enjoyed a spectacular rise under celebrity co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney. Just two years ago, Wrexham was playing non-league soccer in England’s fifth tier.

After three straight promotions, it is one tier below the Premier League and faces a Southampton team that was rubbing shoulders with the likes of Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal last season.

The game will be screened live in the U.K., another sign of the growing interest in Wrexham.

Fixtures for the second-tier Championship were published on Thursday. Wrexham plays former Premier League champion Leicester on Sept. 30.

It plays Ipswich, also relegated from the top flight last season, on Nov. 22 and Sheffield United on Boxing Day.

— The Associated Press

SiriusXM launches 24/7 pro wrestling channel on July 1

Pro wrestling has gone from a once a week show on SiriusXM to having its own channel.

The satellite radio provider announced Thursday that Pro Wrestling Nation 24/7 will take over Channel 156 beginning Tuesday.

Channel 156 has been SiriusXM Fight Nation, which has carried pro wrestling, MMA and boxing shows.

“I couldn’t be more excited,” said Dave LaGreca, the longtime host of “Busted Open,” which started as a one-hour weekly show in 2009. “I really owe it to our fans. They’ve really been dedicated and asked for this for years. It’s a dream come true to actually see it form. And now, it’s about to happen.”

“Busted Open” expanded to five days a week in 2018 before going to six days one year later. It will have a live episode seven days a week from 9 a.m.-noon EDT on the new channel featuring LaGreca with wrestling stars Bully Ray, Mark Henry and Tommy Dreamer.

— The Associated Press

The show has appealed to fans of both WWE and AEW with video clips of interviews getting plenty of engagement on social media.

The channel’s daily lineup will also feature programs from Sam Roberts, Peter Rosenberg, Jonathan Coachman, Natalya and Matt Cardona.

Five nights a week there will be a “Busted Open After Dark” program, where fans can call in and react after WWE and AEW shows.

“The great thing is we’re not associated with WWE or AEW, so we can give our honest opinion about both products,” said LaGreca, who signed a multi-year extension with SiriusXM. “The fact that there is a little bit of tension between those two companies and even the fans, it makes it even better for what we’re doing on air. The fact that there are more companies that are succeeding at record-breaking levels is even better for our brand, and the big reason why we’re going 24/7.”

Pro wrestling also can claim — at least on satellite radio — for being on an level playing field with professional sports leagues and major college conferences in having a dedicated channel.

“The appetite for wrestling content continues to increase, and we’re able to uniquely meet the demand of those fans by delivering a new 24/7 channel just for them,” said Jared Fox, SiriusXM’s Senior Vice President for Sports Programming, Content Marketing & Partnerships, and Artist Relations. “We have a long track record of building dedicated sports channels that fans love.”

LaGreca said he is hoping to add more analysts as well as continue to seek input from fans on possible additions or lineup changes.

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AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports