Riley, defending champ Taylor part of 5-way tie for lead at windy Sony Open

HONOLULU (AP) — The wind arrived early and stayed late Friday in the second round of the PGA Tour's season-opening Sony Open. Davis Riley thrived in the difficult conditions in the morning, birdieing the par-5 18th for a 64 and a share of the lead.

Riley matched defending champion Nick Taylor, Kevin Roy, S.H. Kim and Adrien Dumont de Chassart at 9-under 131 at Waialae Country Club.

"I think these conditions are kind of bringing it out in me a little bit because you have to be creative,” Riley said. “It’s not like you’re trying to make perfect golf swings every time. There is definitely some feel and creativity.”

Taylor faced the stiffest wind of the day in the afternoon a day after shooting a 62 in calmer conditions for a share of the first-round lead with Roy. The Canadian ran in a 25-foot birdie putt on the par-4 15th and a 17-footer on the par-4 16th to take the outright lead, then bogeyed the par-3 17th to slip back.

“The wind was strong and with some gusts,” Taylor said. “A lot of the holes were relatively crosswind, so it was tough to get the yardages correctly. Sometimes it would hurt, sometimes it would help. Almost had to time your shots correctly and get a little bit of luck, too.”

Last year, Taylor chipped in for eagle on 18 to get into a playoff, then beat Nico Echavarria with a birdie.

Roy closed with a birdie on the par-5 ninth late in the afternoon.

“When you get wind like that doesn’t really feel like it’s in the same direction,” Roy said. “It’s just blowing everywhere seems like. I tried to do a really good job at just trying to plot myself around the course.”

Dumont de Chassart shot 67, and Kim had a 68 — both in the morning.

Morning starter Maverick McNealy (66) was a stroke back with afternoon players Takumi Kanaya (66), John Parry (68) and Chris Gotterup (69).

“Obviously, tough day out here with the wind," Gotterup said.

Jordan Spieth was 3 under after a 69. He pointed to a bogey on 15.

"It was so hard this morning,” Spieth said. “I hit a 7-iron into that 15th hole. I had maybe 158 hole and I think it went 120 yards and I played it like 175. So, it was just very challenging at times. And on the greens it just becomes really hard to make putts when it’s that windy.”

Vijay Singh made the cut with rounds of 68 and 70. The 62-year-old Hall of Famer is using a one-time career money exemption to play in full-field events this year. He's making his 25th start in the event he won in 2005.

The season started a week later than usual because The Sentry at Kapalua on Maui was canceled due to water issues.

AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

Adam Scott, of Australia, reacts on the 13th green during the second round of the Sony Open golf event at the Waialae Country Club in Honolulu, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Matt York)

Nick Taylor, of Canada, hits on the 13th hole during the second round of the Sony Open golf event at the Waialae Country Club in Honolulu, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Matt York)

Ben Griffin hits on the 11th hole during the second round of the Sony Open golf event at the Waialae Country Club in Honolulu, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Matt York)

Jordan Spieth reacts on the third hole during the second round of the Sony Open golf event at the Waialae Country Club in Honolulu, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Matt York)

Davis Riley acknowledges the crowd on the 18th hole during the second round of the Sony Open golf event at the Waialae Country Club in Honolulu, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Matt York)

QUITO, Ecuador (AP) — Ecuador declared Cuba’s ambassador, Basilio Antonio Gutiérrez, and his diplomatic staff “persona non grata” on Wednesday and gave them 48 hours to leave the South American country.

Ecuador’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that the measure was adopted within the framework of international diplomatic law, but didn't say why they were forcing the diplomats to leave. The Vienna Convention allows countries to declare diplomatic personnel a persona non grata without explanation.

Cuba's government strongly rejected the move in a statement on Wednesday night, calling it an “unfriendly and unprecedented act that significantly damages the historic relations of friendship and cooperation between both countries."

“This action also demonstrates the contempt of the current government of Ecuador for the diplomatic practices and courtesies observed by the international community,” wrote Cuba's Foreign Ministry.

The decision follows an executive order signed Tuesday by Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa in which he canceled Ecuadorian ambassador to Cuba José María Borja's diplomatic duties, also without explanation.

The same day, the United States and Ecuador announced they have begun joint military operations against organized crime groups in the Andean nation. Noboa has sought to position himself as a tough-on-crime leader in the wake of a surge of armed group violence in recent years.

The measure comes amid mounting pressure by U.S. President Donald Trump on Cuba, which intensified after a U.S. military operation deposed former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro.

Since, Trump has placed restrictions of oil sales to Cuba and said the government was “ready to fall.” Ecuador is one of the Trump administration’s allies and collaborators in the fight against drug trafficking and organized crime in the region.

Cuban authorities said Wednesday that it was “no coincidence” that Ecuador expelled its diplomatic staff at the same time the U.S. was asserting pressure on Cuba and other governments in the region, and ahead of a meeting of mostly right-wing Latin American leaders in Miami next week, which Noboa is slated to attend.

Ecuador and Cuba have maintained bilateral relations since 1960, which have ebbed and flowed with shifts in Ecuadorian politics.

The Wednesday decision has an “ideological component,” said Andrea Endara, coordinator of Political Science and International Relations at Casa Grande University. She said that Noboa “has aligned himself with the interests of the United States.”

The effective expulsion of the Cuban officials follows a number of diplomatic dramas between Ecuador and other Latin American nations in recent years. In 2024, Ecuadorian officials raided the Mexican embassy to arrest the former vice president taking shelter there. Experts said this was a blatant violation of international law, causing Mexico to cut off relations.

More recently, a trade war has broken out between Ecuador and neighboring Colombia, which Noboa’s government accused of not doing enough to crack down on crime on their shared border.

Follow AP’s Latin America coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america

FILE - This is a general view of El Malecon in Havana, Cuba, seen Nov. 1971. (AP Photo/Beverley Reed, File)