Windy Bay Hill is no match for Kitayama

Kurt Kitayama is used to battling some of the best players as he searches for his first PGA Tour win. His biggest challenge Friday was windy Bay Hill, and he handled that just fine with a 4-under 68 for an early lead in the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

Jon Rahm finally looked human. His final five holes included a double bogey, three bogeys and a birdie. He shot 76, his highest score since a 76 in the third round of the PGA Championship last May.

“How would I characterize it? What do you think I’m going to say? Excuse my language, but it’s (expletive) hard,” Rahm said.

He was smiling as he spoke, happy to be done and resigned that a tough day at the office would not belong only to him in these conditions.

“It’s firm. It’s fast. And it’s blowing 30 miles an hour,” he said. “It’s a very difficult golf course.”

Xander Schauffele dropped only one shot — his approach to the 11th came up short and into the water, and he made an 18-foot putt to escape the bogey — and played the final 16 holes without a bogey. He shot 70 and was three behind.

Auto racing: Formula One great Lewis Hamilton has been cleared to race for Mercedes at the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix after having his jewelry inspected. Hamilton clashed with governing body FIA last year over its jewelry ban put in place for safety.

College basketball: Detroit Mercy’s star guard Antoine Davis finished four points shy of surpassing Pete Maravich as the NCAA career scoring leader on Thursday night, scoring 22 in a loss to Youngstown State in the Horizon League tournament.

Soccer: French prosecutors say Paris Saint-Germain defender Achraf Hakimi was given preliminary charges of rape. The prosecutors office in Nanterre says Hakimi was questioned by investigators probing rape allegations on Thursday.