FARMINGDALE, N.Y. -- Brooks Koepka's mastering of the majors continued Thursday at Bethpage Black, where he scorched the harsh layout in the first round of the PGA Championship with a course-record 63.

Koepka, who also shot 63 on his way to victory at the PGA last summer in St. Louis, did not make a bogey and had seven birdies to tie a tournament record for lowest score. He leads by one over Danny Lee, who had a 64 during the afternoon wave, and is four ahead of Tommy Fleetwood.

"I've never been this confident,'' said Koepka, 29, who has won three major championships in the past two years and came up a shot short against Tiger Woods last month at the Masters. "I think I'm still learning, understandably, my game, and I've figured it out. I think over the next few years, I'm excited for what's to come.

"I understand a lot more about my misses, where to hit it, and major championships I just suck it up. You don't always have to aim at the flag like you do in regular events. Sometimes it's just about how few bogeys and doubles you make this week."

Koepka didn't have any of those Thursday, even though he had some wayward tee shots to overcome. He managed to do so by hitting 14 of 18 greens and holing a couple of ticklish par putts; he needed just 25 putts for the round.

He now has gone 31 straight holes without a bogey in the PGA Championship, and this was his 10th straight round under par in majors. His 63 was the 17th in PGA Championship history, and he is the first player to post a 63 in consecutive years at major championships.

In addition, he is just the third golfer with multiple rounds of 63 in major championship history, joining Greg Norman and Vijay Singh.

Ranked fourth in the world, Koepka figured to be a good match for Bethpage Black, a difficult test even in benign conditions. Cool temperatures and an abundance of rain this week made it play even longer than the 7,459 yards.

"That was one of the best rounds I've played probably as a professional," Koepka said. "This golf course is brutal. If you're not going to drive it, it tests every aspect of your game. You've got to drive the ball straight. It's long, so you've got to hit it far and really position yourself with some of these shots in.

"You can't take a shot off, and that's what I love. I think that's why I play so well at U.S. Opens -- this golf course is a typical U.S. Open golf course. If you don't have a good day, you can very easily shoot 5, 6 over. There's a fine line between 5, 6 over and a couple under out here."

Woods was the only player at 3 under to finish under par at Bethpage during the 2002 U.S. Open. Lucas Glover was 4 under when he won here in 2009.

And it was Woods who said Thursday that the 63 by Koepka "was the worst he could have shot. He played well. He had a couple of putts he didn't make."

Said Koepka: "I didn't take care of the par-5s, didn't birdie any of the par-5s. That was disappointing because I felt like, you know, those are holes you should be able to birdie. Definitely can reach 4, and [I] hit a bad driver there. And 13, I can get there, too, and [I] hit it in the bunker. And then the second hole today, my 11th hole, I missed about a 5-footer. That would have been nice to shoot 60. I guess that would have been pretty good."

Heavyweight world titleholder Deontay Wilder's tough talk this week about possibly killing mandatory challenger Dominic Breazeale in the ring drew a rebuke from the WBC on Thursday, the same day Wilder continued the same line of discussion at their final news conference.

Wilder will make his ninth title defense against Breazeale on Saturday (Showtime, 9 p.m. ET) at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

On Tuesday, after a workout for the media, Wilder made chilling comments about the fight.

"Dominic Breazeale asked for this. I didn't seek him out. He [came for] me," Wilder said. "This isn't a gentleman's sport. We don't ask to hit each other in the face but we do anyway. If you ask any doctor around the world he'll tell you the head is not meant to be hit. This is the only sport where you can kill a man and get paid for it at the same time. It's legal. So why not use my right to do so?"

The comments caught the attention of Mauricio Sulaiman, the president of the WBC, whose world title Wilder holds.

"I have seen Deontay Wilder's comments which are regrettable and completely against the spirit of our sport," Sulaiman wrote on social media. "I have known Wilder for a long time and he is not the person he portrays in such comments. His metaphors are against the WBC code of ethics and will be addressed in a hearing."

Sulaiman gave no additional details about the hearing he mentioned and could not be reached for comment.

Wilder (40-0-1, 39 KO), 33, of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and Breazeale (20-1, 18 KOs), 33, of Eastvale, California, have a deep animosity toward each other stemming from an incident in February 2017, when Wilder retained his title by fifth-round knockout of Gerald Washington and Breazeale knocked out Izuagbe Ugonoh in the fifth round on the undercard.

Later that night, in the lobby of the fight hotel in Birmingham, Alabama, Wilder, his younger brother Marsellos Wilder, Breazeale, and their teams were involved in an altercation. Breazeale, who was with his wife and kids, alleged he was punched from behind by Marsellos. Earlier in the evening, Marsellos Wilder and Breazeale had gotten into an argument at the arena, which spilled over to the hotel later. Police were called following the hotel incident but no arrests were made. Breazeale later filed a lawsuit against Deontay Wilder, which was dismissed a few months later.

At the final prefight news conference on Thursday at Barclays Center, Wilder continued with his violent talk.

"This has been a long time coming for me and Dominic. He asked for this, and he shall receive. Just like the Bible says -- you ask, you shall receive," Wilder said. "Come May 18 at the Barclays Center, he's going to get everything he receives. I'm gonna fade him out, baby. I can't wait. It's gonna be an amazing night for me and sad time for him.

"I want to hurt Breazeale so bad. So bad, my blood is boiling right now. I can barely keep my composure right now. But due to the fact we can't get paid outside of the ring -- there's a lot of money on the line, baby, and my family got to eat. So with that being said I will keep my composure until that time comes. I can't wait. Come Saturday, I can do whatever I want to do. You better gather around your loved ones. You all better gather around him tonight because come Saturday night, he may not be able to talk to you. Trust me. You know I don't play no games."

Breazeale's only loss came to world titlist Anthony Joshua, who knocked him out in the seventh round in 2016. Breazeale has won three fights in a row since by knockout and brushed off Wilder's comments and gave it right back to him.

"I'm excited to be back and get another knockout win," he said at the news conference. "Getting that WBC belt is everything to me. This is my Super Bowl. Victory for me on Saturday is everything. Wilder doesn't know what he's getting himself into. He's in for a fight. He better be confident in his abilities because Saturday night, he's going to be in the toughest fight of his life. I'm going to beat Deontay so bad that he's not going to ever want to lace up the gloves again, not is he going to be physically fit or able to lace up the gloves again.

"I've been dreaming for the last year about hearing 'and the new.' It's a beautiful thing and I can't wait to make it come true and have my hand raised. I'm too mentally in tune to be focused on what someone says. When I go into a fight I don't worry about what my opponent can do, but about what I want to do and how I can execute. None of Deontay's words affect me at all. He's going to keep barking, and I'm just going to keep waiting. I'm going to quiet him down on Saturday night."

Britain's wheelchair tennis players can claim their best ever medal haul at the 2019 BNP Paribas World Team Cup after all four teams reached the semi-finals.

The annual tournament is the wheelchair tennis equivalent of the Fed Cup and Davis Cup competitions.

Britain's men face Japan on Friday for a place in Saturday's final, while the juniors meet Australia in their final on Friday.

The women's and quads teams play South Africa for bronze medals on Friday.

Great Britain is the only country to have teams in the semi-finals across all four events at the tournament in Ramat Hasharon, Israel.

It could also be the first time that all four British teams win medals - a feat only ever achieved before by the Netherlands and the USA.

Britain's previous best total was three medals won in 2012.

The men's team - Alfie Hewett, Gordon Reid and Dermot Bailey - will face Argentina or France in the final if they beat Japan.

"There have been some really good performances from everyone in the team this week," Hewett said.

British number two Andy Cotterill will be part of the quads team looking to win bronze on Friday. "We are still playing for a medal but we came here to win gold. Hopefully we can bounce back and take bronze," he said.

FULLERTON, Calif. — Gene Romero, the 1970 AMA Grand National champion and the 1975 Daytona 200 winner, died May 12. He was 71 years old.

The California native was a star motorcycle racer, competing for 16 years in AMA competition. In addition to the 1970 AMA Grand National title, he earned 12 AMA national event victories during his career and was voted the 1970 AMA Most Popular Rider of the Year Award.

Best known as a flat-track racer, Romero’s biggest victory of his lengthy career came in 1975 when he won the Daytona 200 at Daytona Int’l Speedway. Riding a factory Yamaha, it was his only victory in the legendary motorcycle event in 14 attempts.

Romero was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1998.

CONCORD, N.C. – Icons of Charlotte Motor Speedway’s past, present and future were on display in a special event on Thursday at the speedway’s avenue of flags.

In honor of Charlotte Motor Speedway’s 60th season, speedway officials unveiled a commemorative historical marker that will stay beside the avenue of flags.

Additionally, officials revealed a 1960 Buick Invicta car like the one used for promotional purposes entering the inaugural Coca-Cola 600 in 1960 – and Richard Childress Racing, celebrating its 50th anniversary this year – showed off one of its most spectacular paint schemes.

RCR Chairman and CEO Richard Childress joined drivers Austin Dillon and Daniel Hemric as well as Speedway Motorsports, Inc. President and CEO Marcus Smith and Charlotte Motor Speedway Executive Vice President and General Manager Greg Walter in the festivities. Dillon and Childress revealed the striking, red-and-black No. 3 Coke Zero Sugar car that Dillon will drive in the 60th Coca-Cola 600 on May 26.

“One of the things that I tell people I learned from my dad (founder O. Bruton Smith) is that the vision he had for Charlotte Motor Speedway is far beyond what I or most NASCAR people thought Charlotte Motor Speedway could be,” Smith said. “That vision which started in 1959 and emerged into what it is today – it’s certainly pretty cool and very impressive.”

Childress, who first visited the speedway in 1967, has celebrated six Coca-Cola 600 wins with Dale Earnhardt, Kevin Harvick and Dillon, his oldest grandson.

“Charlotte Motor Speedway has meant so much to this area and all over the world,” Childress said. “For us to win (the Coca-Cola 600) six times has been great, but the thing they’ve done here at Charlotte is bring NASCAR to a whole new level with the racing, the fans and the things they’ve brought. There’s always something special here at Charlotte.”

Dillon’s victory in the 2017 Coca-Cola 600 – his first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series win – ranks No. 1 on his and Childress’ list.

“Winning the Coke 600, there was nothing like it,” Dillon said. “Being tied with Coca-Cola since the beginning of my Cup Series career and getting to represent them with a full Coke Zero sugar paint-out on our car is special. … I can’t wait for the 600. It’s my favorite weekend of the year.”

KNOXVILLE, Iowa – The race for the Priority Aviation $20,000 sponsorship for Nationals week in August at Knoxville is wide open.

The opportunity benefiting the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum for a $20,000 sponsorship from Priority Aviation is available to any driver competing at Knoxville in August at either the 360 Nationals or 410 Nationals.

The competition will continue until a winner is announced on July 31. All funds collected go towards paying off the remaining construction costs of the Bryan Clauson Suite Tower adjacent to the museum.

“We want to thank the drivers who have participated thus far, but we also want to let all drivers and fans of any driver know that we haven’t had a team break away from the pack yet,” said National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum Executive Director Bob Baker. “There are no leads here that are insurmountable by any stretch of the imagination. Contact us to learn more, or grab some brochures for more information on memberships or donations so you can take advantage of this great opportunity from Priority Aviation.”

Currently, 17 drivers have taken advantage of the contest.  2018 National Sprint Car Hall of Fame inductee Lance Dewease leads the current standings ahead of Wisconsin’s Bill Balog, Iowa’s McKenna Haase, Tennessee’s Sammy Swindell, Oregon’s Tanner Holmes, Iowa’s Carson McCarl, Ohio’s Jac Haudenschild, Connecticut’s David Gravel, Ohio’s Sheldon Haudenschild, Wisconsin’s Scott Thiel, Iowa’s Austin McCarl, Indiana’s Parker Price-Miller, Minnesota’s Craig Dollansky, South Dakota’s Clint Garner, California’s Mason Daniel, Ohio’s Chad Kemenah and Iowa’s Joe Beaver.

All that sprint car teams need to do is have their prospective members or donors visit www.SprintCarStuff.com and order a membership there, or contact the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum and request membership packets or make a donation.  If ordering online, specify your driver or race team in the notes section on the final page.

The museum can ship membership and donation information out for the drivers and teams to pass out at their races throughout the season.  The driver or team with the highest amount of donations returned to the museum before July 31, will receive the $20,000 sponsorship funding.

All funds collected will go towards paying off remaining construction costs on the Bryan Clauson Suite Tower. Memberships start at $25 per year, but any donation amount will be accepted.

JOLIET, Ill. — Drag racing legend Shirley Muldowney will attend the Route 66 NHRA Nationals at Route 66 Raceway on May 31–June 2 to serve as the event’s honorary Grand Marshal.

Muldowney will appear throughout the weekend at various autograph sessions and Championship Sunday’s pre-race ceremonies.

“We are thrilled to host one of the NHRA’s most legendary drivers and a true pioneer for women in the industry at this year’s Route 66 NHRA Nationals,” said Route 66 Raceway President Scott Paddock. “The rich and diverse history of the NHRA has been personified throughout Shirley’s storied career and classifies her as one of the sport’s most prestigious, and we are beyond excited to feature her as the weekend’s Grand Marshal this year.”

Muldowney, named the fifth-best driver in sport history by the NHRA in 2001, made a career of outclassing most of the men in her field with 18 NHRA national event wins, the first coming in 1976, which was the first victory by a woman at a NHRA national event.

The ascent to legendary status continued when she won the 1977 Top Fuel championship, becoming the first woman in history to claim drag racing’s elite crown. She won the same title in 1980, making her the first driver, male or female, to capture the championship twice in a career.

Muldowney also won the AHRA championship in 1981, and followed that up with her third Top Fuel championship in 1982, while simultaneously being awarded the Top Fuel Driver of the Year for the second consecutive season.

Muldowney’s appearance coincides well with a #Route66Nats exhibition by the group Car Chix. Route 66 Raceway will provide the platform for a match made up of female racers by acting as the event’s Grand Marshal.

Lea Ochs will go head-to-head with Georgina Buckley, pitting turbo against nitrous. Ochs was named one of Drag Illustrated Hottest Women in Motorsports in 2019 and Buckley was the first and continues to be the only woman to win a NHRA Wally on drag radial tires. With Muldowney steering this next generation of female racers, their grudge matches are sure to entertain fans of all ages.

MONTEREY, Calif. – Yamaha’s longstanding history with motorcycle road racing at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca continues with a sponsorship that offers fans exclusive ticket packages to the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship GEICO Motorcycle U.S. Round with MotoAmerica on July 12-14.

The Yamaha Special includes a three-day admission and paddock ticket, open grandstand seats, preferred motorcycle parking, and swag bag. Fans can get the three-day special offer by following this link and using Promo Code YAMAHA1.

The presence of the blue iconic brand at the event extends toincludes the Yamaha display area in the Hagerty Marketplace. Yamaha street motorcycle demo rides will be conducted throughout the weekend on select models,. and Tthe Yamaha display will showcase current and new models. Race fans will also have an opportunity to meet Yamaha bLU cRU riders will be scheduled forduring autograph sessions scheduled to take place throughout the weekend.

Yamaha has more total professional wins at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca than any other motorcycle manufacturer (31) since the first AMA race held at the Monterey circuit took place in 1972. The list of winners includes legendary riders such as Eddie Lawson, Kenny Roberts, Wayne Rainey, Valentino Rossi, Jorge Lorenzo and Mike Baldwin. Most recently, Yamaha factory rider Cameron Beaubier doubled up in MotoAmerica’s EBC Brakes Superbike category with two wins at last year’s event.

“Yamaha’s long-standing relationship with WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca has been a point of pride for our company, and we are very pleased to continue our sponsor partnership,” said Steve Nessl, Motorsports Marketing Manager for Yamaha. “We look forward to connecting with race fans and our customers during the World Superbike and MotoAmerica weekend in July through a number of activities we’ll be conducting, which will surely be complemented by exciting racing action on the legendary Laguna Seca course.”

The Yamaha factory squad will give fans top riders to cheer in the international and domestic Superbike series. Alex Lowes and Michael van der Mark – both winners in the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship in 2018 – will each be riding a Yamaha YZF- R1 for the Pata Yamaha Official WSBK Team. In MotoAmerica, three-time Superbike champion Cameron Beaubier and two-time MotoAmerica Supersport champion Garrett Gerloff will be riding similar Yamaha YZF -R1 machines for Monster Energy/Yamalube/Yamaha Factory Racing. Customer Yamaha bLU cRU supported teams will be racing in each series as well.

The Blues could be without defenseman Vince Dunn for Game 4 of their Western Conference finals series against the Sharks on Friday.

The team says the defenseman is day-to-day with an upper-body injury after he left in the first period of Wednesday's Game 3 when he was hit in the face by a Brenden Dillon shot. He didn't return to the game, a 5-4 Blues loss.

The 22-year-old Dunn had 12 goals and 23 assists during the regular season. He's added two goals and five assists in the playoffs.

"Obviously it's tough," St. Louis defenseman Colton Parayko said, according to NHL.com. "He's been dynamite for us all season and all playoff long. It's tough to see (Dunn) go down, but just us five, we continued to manage our time and we have quick shifts, short shifts and just play hard and continue to stay in the game that way."

Blues coach Craig Berube said Carl Gunnarsson is able to play if Dunn can't. Gunnarsson has been out since suffering a lower-body injury in Game 7 against the Dallas Stars in the last round.

The Sharks lead the best-of-seven series 2-1.

Every team in the Central Division has been to the playoffs within the past few seasons, and it hasn't allowed for especially high draft picks. That's why the Central is one of the shallower divisions when it comes to high-end prospects, despite being home to No. 1 NHL-drafted prospect and early 2019-20 Calder Trophy favorite Cale Makar.

Most of the teams in this division aren't considered rebuilding projects, though one wonders if the Wild will start to look at retooling a bit more in the coming years. Chicago and Colorado have top-five picks this June too. It will be interesting to see how things shake out after the 2019 draft, but right now, most of these teams don't rank very high among NHL farm systems.

Note: "A" prospects have higher potential to be impact NHL players, and "B" prospects are more likely to be everyday players and contributors on NHL rosters, based on what I've seen to date.

Chicago Blackhawks

A prospect: Adam Boqvist
B prospects: Ian Mitchell, Nicolas Beaudin, MacKenzie Entwistle, Philipp Kurashev, Tim Soderlund, Artur Kayumov and Dominik Kubalik

The Blackhawks' prospect pool remains a little thin, especially after Henri Jokiharju graduated this season, but they have high-end defensive prospects led by the offensively elite Boqvist. However, he needs to round out his defensive game before he can be an NHL defenseman. Mitchell opted to return to Denver for next season but very much should be viewed as a future NHLer. Beaudin had a strong season in the QMJHL, in which he showcased a bit more maturity in his game.

Where Chicago is lacking is elite forward prospects. Entwistle might have the most upside of any in its system currently, while others such as Kurashev, Soderlund, Kayumov, Kubalik, Andrei Altybarmakian, Niklas Nordgren, Brandon Hagel and Evan Barrett are among those who could take steps toward the NHL in the next few years.

Chicago could make a big splash with its No. 3 pick, but the decision isn't an easy one. Do the Blackhawks keep loading up with defense by adding Bowen Byram, or do they select from one of five high-end forwards who seem to make sense at No. 3? Whomever they pick likely becomes the team's No. 1 prospect.

Breakout prospect: Nicolas Beaudin

Colorado Avalanche