Keegan Bradley shoots 60 at Byron Nelson Championship

Keegan Bradley had no thoughts about a course record, or the possibility of a 59, after consecutive bogeys in the middle of his opening round in the Byron Nelson Championship at Irving, Texas.

Until his 136-yard wedge shot on his final hole Thursday.

“It was going right at it. [A 59] crossed my mind for a second, and it would be unbelievable if I buried this,” Bradley said. “But I had three feet to shoot 60. I was actually very nervous, uncomfortable over it and thank God I made it.”

Bradley shot 10-under-par 60, completed by that short birdie at the 428-yard ninth hole, to break the TPC Four Seasons course record and match the best round ever at the Nelson.

The 60, with 10 birdies and an eagle three at the 542-yard seventh, gave Bradley a three-stroke lead over 2011 Masters champion Charl Schwartzel.

Guan Tianlang, the 14-year-old amateur from China, shot a 70.

Lexi Thompson birdied four of her last five holes for a seven-under 65 and a share of the first-round lead with Eun-Hee Ji in the Mobile Bay LPGA Classic at Mobile, Ala.

ETC.

Nadal advances at Rome

Six-time champion Rafael Nadal overcame one of the worst opening sets of his career to edge Latvian qualifier Ernests Gulbis, 1-6, 7-5, 6-4, and reach the Italian Open quarterfinals at Rome.

Nadal’s performance, and sometimes sluggish movement on the court, raised questions about whether he will be able to successfully defend his title at the French Open. The year’s second Grand Slam event starts in nine days.

Top-ranked Novak Djokovic had a far easier time than Nadal, beating Alexandr Dolgopolov, 6-1, 6-4, to improve his clay-court record this season to 8-1. Serena Williams routed 14th-seeded Dominika Cibulkova, 6-0, 6-1, for her 21st consecutive win, matching the best streak of her career.

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Dick Trickle, a former NASCAR driver whose larger-than-life personality and penchant for fun won him legions of fans despite a lack of success beyond the nation’s small tracks, died Thursday of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, authorities said. He was 71.

Trickle’s body was found near his pickup truck at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Boger City, N.C., about 40 miles northwest of Charlotte. Sheriff’s Lt. Tim Johnson said foul play was not suspected.

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Paul Stastny had two goals and two assists, and Craig Smith had five assists to help the United States rout Russia, 8-3, in the world hockey quarterfinals at Helsinki, Finland.

The Americans will face Switzerland, a 2-1 winner over the Czech Republic in Stockholm, on Saturday in Stockholm. In the other semifinal, Sweden will play Finland.

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Ousted NBA players’ association executive director Billy Hunter alleges in a lawsuit that union President Derek Fisher had a secret deal with owners during the 2011 lockout that benefited himself, his publicist and certain players.

Hunter contends that Fisher undermined Hunter’s efforts to make an agreement and interfered with his position by secretly negotiating with select owners in violation of union bylaws.

Fisher said he had just learned of the lawsuit before meeting with reporters in Oklahoma City and didn’t want to comment.

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USC and UCLA won their matchups in the round of 16 in the NCAA men’s tennis championships at Urbana, Ill. The Trojans defeated Baylor, 4-1, and will face Ohio State in the quarterfinals Saturday. UCLA beat Vanderbilt, 4-0, and will face the winner of the Duke-Kentucky matchup.

Pepperdine defeated Memphis, 4-2, and will play Georgia in the quarterfinals.

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USC’s Sam Smith shot a course-record 62 and tied the Trojans’ school record in an NCAA men’s golf regional at Pullman, Wash. USC is fourth in the team competition.

UCLA is leading the regional at Tempe, Ariz., by 10 shots. Loyola Marymount junior Tyler Torano, playing as an individual, shot a one-over 71 and is in a tie for 28th place.