Harrington keeps Bridgestone lead

AKRON, Ohio, Aug. 7 (UPI) -- Padraig Harrington kept his lead at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational Friday, while Tiger Woods failed to make a charge in his bid for a fifth victory in 2009.

Harrington made changes in his swing after winning two major championships last year and promptly began to struggle.

A 64 in the opening round, however, gave him confidence those changes are paying off and he added a 69 Friday at the Firestone Country Club South Course.

His 7-under 133 total gave him a one-shot lead over Tim Clark and a two-shot advantage over Scott Verplank.

Woods, who won the Buick Open title a week ago, settled for a 70 on a day when 27 members of the 80-player field had better scores. Woods, though, was well within challenging range at 2-under 138.

In the first two rounds, the long, narrow Firestone course favored players known for hitting the ball straight off the tee.

Steve Stricker, Jerry Kelly and Prayad Marksaeng were all at 136, while Woody Austin and former Masters winners Zach Johnson and Mike Weir were in the group at 137.

Phil Mickelson, playing for the first time since the U.S. Open, eagled the second hole and wound up with a 69 for a two-day total of 139.

The winners of the first three major events of the year -- Angel Cabrera (Masters), Lucas Glover (U.S. Open) and Stewart Cink (British Open) -- were all at 138.