Michael Putnam opens a one-shot lead at PGA Tour’s OHL Classic

Michael Putnam birdied five of the first eight holes Friday and finished with a seven-under-par 64 to take the lead in the PGA Tour’s OHL Classic in Playa del Carmen, Mexico.

Putnam had a 12-under 130 total, playing the first 36 holes without a bogey on Mayakoba’s El Camaleon course. He won the Web.com Tour’s 2013 Mexico Championship.

“I’ve kept the ball in play really well,” Putnam said. “It’s a tight golf course and got to keep it between the trees. After that, I’ve hit a lot of greens and made a lot of two putts. I did make about a 10-footer for par on 16 — probably the hardest hole on the course. Other than that, it was a pretty easy bogey-free round.”

Winless in 95 career PGA Tour starts, the 31-year-old former Pepperdine player birdied the par-four 18th to close his morning round.

“It’s a hard hole today,” Putnam said. “Driver, six-iron into the wind and an 18-foot putt.”

Shawn Stefani and Jason Bohn were a stroke back. They each shot 65. Stefani had seven birdies and a bogey.

Ken Duke was 10 under after a 63, the best round of the day.

David Hearn, Nicholas Thompson, Will MacKenzie and Alex Cejka were 9 under. Hearn and Thompson shot 65, Cejka had a 67, and MacKenzie a 68.

Fred Funk, the oldest player in the field at 58, was eight under after a 65. He won the 2007 event at 50 years, 8 months and 12 days to become the fifth-oldest PGA Tour winner.

Oscar Fraustro topped the seven Mexican players in the field, shooting a 67 to reach seven under.

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Christina Kim shot a three-under 69 to maintain a one-stroke lead in the Lorena Ochoa Invitational in Mexico City.

Kim birdied the par-three 16th to take the outright lead and parred the final two holes at tree-lined Club de Golf Mexico. She had a 10-under 134 total.

“I love Mexico,” Kim said. “Everything about it — the culture, the food. It’s amazing.”

The 30-year-old American birdied three of the first four holes, dropped strokes on Nos. 7 and 9, and rebounded with a short birdie putt on the par-three 13th.

“It was getting a little sketchy in the middle of the round,” Kim said. “I just kind of hung through it and just tried to enjoy myself and, again, tried to see if I could be the best Lorena that I could be. Overall, it was a good day. It was just very stressful.”

She won the last of her two LPGA Tour titles in 2005.

Paula Creamer was second after a 65, the best round of the day. “It was good to see some nice results with my irons,” she said.

Azahara Munoz, Suzann Pettersen, Lydia Ko and Pornanong Phatlum were tied for third at seven under. Pettersen shot 66, Phatlum 68, Ko 69, and Munoz 71.

Top-ranked Inbee Park was 10th at four under after a 70. Michelle Wie had a 69 to reach two under. She won the 2009 event at Guadalajara Country Club for her first LPGA Tour victory.

Lexi Thompson, the winner last year at Guadalajara, also was 2 under after a 72. Second-ranked Stacy Lewis followed her opening 76 with a 70 to reach two under. She was 5tied for 27th in the 36-player field.

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Former PGA Championship winner Jason Dufner shot successive three-under 69s to lie five strokes behind second-round leader Jyoti Randhawa in the Chiang Mai Classic in Thailand.

Randhawa, the eight-time Asian Tour winner from India, enjoyed a birdie-birdie finish to a seven-birdie round of 65.

“I played too good,” Randhawa said. “This is the best I’ve played for a long, long time.”

At 11-under 133, he was one ahead of Thanyakorn Krongpha, who sank a 15-foot eagle putt on the par-five 18th at the Alpine Golf Resort to also card 65.

Scott Barr of Australia (69) and Rashid Khan of India (69) were tied for third at seven under. Former Masters champion Charl Schwartzel made the cut on the line at one over after a bogey-free 68.

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Ian Poulter picked up five shots through 14 holes of the second round to move into the lead of the Turkish Airlines Open before play was halted Friday because of the weather in Belek.

The Englishman holed a 40-foot putt for birdie on the 11th hole to take the lead in the third of the European Tour’s Final Four Series. Poulter is at 13 under, three ahead of Brendon De Jonge.

Play at the Montgomerie Maxx Royal course was stopped just after noon and was abandoned for the day at 2:30 p.m. with the continuing threat of thunderstorms.

On the course, defending champion Victor Dubuisson had to have medical treatment for a nose bleed believed to have been brought on by allergies. Dubuisson shot a 77 in the first round and had six birdies and three bogeys on Friday to move to two over after 13 holes.

Miguel Angel Jimenez, the leader after the first round, dropped two shots through 14 holes to fall back into a share for fifth at eight under.