Jason Day has a one-shot lead at the Bridgestone Invitational

Reporting from AKRON, Ohio —  Jason Day’s plan for the Bridgestone Invitational was to get in the lead as quickly as possible and expand it from there.

He took care of the first part Friday.

With just enough breeze to make the fairways at Firestone seem even tighter, Day relied on his sharp short game and a pair of late birdies for a one-under-par 69 that gave him a one-shot lead over David Lingmerth going into the weekend.

What irritated the world’s No. 1 player was the way he finished.

Day had a 20-foot birdie putt from the fringe on the final hole, and when his putter bumped up against the collar on the way back, he rapped it too hard and then missed the six-foot par putt on the way back.

“I was very cross with myself when I was walking off,” Day said. “The great thing is that once I do silly things like that on 18, I soon forget about it, and I just need to start focusing on tomorrow’s round.

“But I know that I’m putting good because I’m holing putts. And if I can give myself the opportunities, I’m hoping that I can stretch that lead over 54 holes, and then hopefully by 72 holes, I can stretch that lead even more.”

Day was at four-under 136, matching Tiger Woods in 2005 for the highest 36-hole score to lead this World Golf Championship.

Lingmerth had a 67 that tied for the low score of the second round, where scoring was hampered by wind that felt as though it were coming out of different directions. He also made bogey on the 18th, and the Swede wasn’t alone in dropping shots toward the end of his round.

William McGirt, who began the second round with a three-shot lead, stayed in front until he went over the par-five 16th with a wedge and made bogey, and then chopped up the 18th hole on his way to a double bogey for a 74. McGirt had a 74 and was two shots back at 138, along with Emiliano Grillo (71) and Scott Piercy (69).

“Trying to figure out the wind was impossible,” McGirt said. “It was a lot of down off the left with a touch of in off the right. I mean, who knows?”

Only nine players remained under par.

Henderson tied for LPGA lead in Portland

Defending champion Brooke Henderson and Sweden’s Suzann Pettersen share the lead at 11-under 133 after Friday’s second round of the LPGA Cambia Portland Classic.

Pettersen shot the day’s low score with an eight-under 64, while No. 2 Henderson, an 18-year-old Canadian who won her first LPGA Tour event last year in Portland, shot 68 at Columbia Edgewater.

Pettersen and Henderson, who have combined to win three of the last five Portland Classics, lead by one stroke over Colombia’s Mariajo Uribe, who shot 67.

Austin Ernst, Pernilla Lindberg and Angela Stanford are five shots back at six under. Ernst, the 2014 Portland champion, shot 66, while Lindberg had 68 and Stanford a 71.

Lee Lopez (68), Prima Thammaraks (69) and Carlota Ciganda (71) are at five under. Among a group of seven at four under are Kelly Shon, Cheyenne Wood and Jaye Marie Green. Shon made eight birdies on her way to a 66.

Among those who didn’t make the cut at one over are Americans Cristie Kerr, Lizette Salas and Marina Alex.

Chalmers leads at Barracuda Championship

Greg Chalmers birdied five of his last eight holes to take a two-point lead in the Barracuda Championship, the PGA Tour’s only modified Stableford scoring event.

The 42-year-old Australian had a 10-point round to reach 24 points at Montreux in Reno, Nev., in the scoring system that awards eight points for double eagle, five points for an eagle, two points for a birdie and deducts a point for a bogey and three points for a double bogey or worse.

First-round leader Martin Laird of Scotland bogeyed three of his last six holes — finishing with a three-putt on the par-four ninth — to drop into a tie for second with 2013 winner Gary Woodland.

Most of the players are fighting for a spot in the British Open in two weeks at Royal Troon. Because of the West Virginia floods that led to the Greenbrier Classic being canceled next week, a spot at Royal Troon was transferred to the leading player not already eligible at Montreux. Woodland was one of five players already in the Open to advance to weekend play.

McIlroy surges into contention at French Open

Four-time major winner Rory McIlroy roared back into contention at the French Open on Friday, sinking six birdies in a five-under round of 66 to join a five-way share of the lead.

The Northern Irishman could have taken the overall lead at the Le Golf National course — which is hosting the 2018 Ryder Cup — but a poor tee shot on the 18th hole led to a bogey.

South Korea’s Wang Jeung-hun matched McIlroy’s 66, while Thongchai Jaidee of Thailand — who was one stroke behind overnight leader Lucas Bjerregaard of Denmark — posted aone-under 70 for a share of the lead. The other co-leaders, Mikko Ilonen of Finland and South African Brandon Stone, had 68s.

Bjerregaard is three shots behind after four bogeys in a 74.