Westwood takes lead at Players Championship

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FLA. » Lee Westwood isn’t interested in comparing himself with the player who rose to No. 1 in the world a decade ago. All he knows is he’s playing some of his best golf, and he gets another chance to see if it can hold up against the best field.

Westwood had all the shots Friday in a bogey-free round at The Players Championship, with two birdies at the start and a nifty pitch to a troublesome pin on the par-5 ninth to close with a another birdie and a 6-under 66.

That gave him a one-shot lead over Matt Fitzpatrick (68) going into the weekend on the Stadium Course at the TPC Sawgrass, with U.S. Open champion Bryson DeChambeau not too far behind.

Japan will not take part in China vaccine offer

TOKYO » Japan will not take part in China’s offer — accepted by the International Olympic Committee — to provide vaccines for “participants” in the postponed Tokyo Games and next year’s Beijing Winter Games.

Olympic Minister Tamayo Marukawa said Friday that Japan had not been consulted by the IOC about the Chinese vaccines, and that Japanese athletes would not take them. She said the vaccines have not been approved for use in Japan.

Announced by IOC President Thomas Bach on Thursday, the surprise deal comes as China faces mounting international pressure over the internment of at least 1 million Muslim Uyghurs, which has been labeled a “genocide” by several governments and human rights bodies.

Okla. broadcaster denounced for racist comments

OKLAHOMA CITY » An announcer for a live stream of an Oklahoma girls high school basketball game cursed and called one team by a racial epithet as the players kneeled during the national anthem.

The incident occurred Thursday before the Norman High School-Midwest City quarterfinal as “The Star-Spangled Banner” began to play. The broadcasters told their listeners on the NFHS Network stream they would return after a break and then one, apparently not realizing the audio was still live, used an expletive and the epithet as the Norman players kneeled.

“They’re kneeling? (Expletive) them,” one of the men said. “I hope Norman gets their ass kicked ... (Expletive) (epithet).”