AKRON, Ohio — Vijay Singh and Phil Mickelson are two of the longest hitters in golf. They were Nos. 1 and 2 on the leaderboard going into the weekend at Firestone, which measures 7,400 yards and is playing every bit that long this week.

To what do they attribute their fine play at the Bridgestone Invitational?

Their short games, of course.

Singh had trouble finding a fairway Friday in the second round, but he dodged enough trees and holed enough putts for a 4-under 66 that gave him a one-shot lead over Mickelson, the first time since Bay Hill in March that Singh's name has been atop the leaderboard.

He was at 7-under 133 as he goes for his first victory on U.S. soil in 18 months.

"I putted really poorly," Singh said in assessing his season. "If you're not putting well, it kind of edges into the rest of the game."

Mickelson made a great escape on his final hole for the second straight day, this time for par after making a 20-footer for a 66 that landed him in the final group Saturday with Singh.

He has won twice this year, but his short game has been costing him shots just about every week. Lefty renewed his dedication to putting and chipping, and is thankful to see some results with the PGA Championship looming.

"I hit some great wedge shots today, just the basic little chip shots that I expect to get close," Mickelson said. "I haven't been performing the way I expected, and this week it feels much better. I spent last week on short game exclusively, and I feel like it's starting to come around."