Day 3 back in Aussie as Spieth struggles

Defending champion Jordan Spieth struggled in the wind Thursday at the Australian Open in Sydney, while Jason Day took advantage of calmer morning conditions.

The marquee players were overshadowed by Cameron Davis, who shot an 8-under 63. That left Day — making his first competitive appearance in his home country since 2013 — three strokes behind, while Spieth was at 70 after bogeying his first two holes. Taylor MacDonald was two strokes behind fellow Australian Davis and alone in second place.

Europe: S.S.P. Chawrasia had six birdies and a bogey for a 5-under 65 and a onestroke lead at the Hong Kong Open. Shubhankar Sharma and Matthew Fitzpatrick were second.

ODDS AND ENDS

Tennis: France captain Yannick Noah surprisingly cut Nicolas Mahut from his squad to face Belgium in the Davis Cup final this weekend and declined to elaborate on his decision. Noah instead included Richard Gasquet.

Soccer: A major study into whether players are at risk of degenerative brain disease was commissioned in Great Britain. The Football Association and Professional Footballers’ Association appointed an independent team, based in Scotland, to undertake the study in January.

■ Former AC Milan and Real Madrid striker Robinho was sentenced to nine years in jail in Milan in a 2013 sexual assault case. His lawyer said he will appeal.

Winter sports: Two Russians whose medals from the Sochi Games were stripped because of doping — Aleksandr Tretiakov and Elena Nikitina — were barred from World Cup races by International Bobsled and Skeleton Federation suspensions.