CROMWELL, Conn. --   David Mathis’ once-torrid pace has slowed -- he just made the turn at 5 under after a bogey on the 18th.

One shot behind him on the leaderboard: Rocco Mediate, who is 4 under through his first eight holes.

Meanwhile, the featured group of Webb Simpson, Bubba Watson and Keegan Bradley is nearing the turn. Simpson leads the trio at 2 under, while Watson and Bradley are both 1 under.

Will Claxton had a chance to grab the clubhouse lead at 6 under earlier, but he bogeyed the par-4 18th hole to finish with a 65 and a share of the clubhouse lead.

Claxton missed the green right, then failed to get up and down, leaving himself over 20 feet after a poor shot out of the greenside bunker.

By Brian Wacker, PGATOUR.COM

PALM HARBOR, Fla. -- Padraig Harrington went out early Thursday, posted a course-record and career-low 61 then watched as everyone tried to catch him.

No one did.

Harrington’s bogey-free day -- in which he had 14 one-putts -- was highlighted by a 75-footer he canned on the par-3 17th. It was the longest putt he’s made in his career.

The three-time major champion’s 61 also ties the low-round of the season, a mark previously reached by four others. Harrington’s previous low round on the PGA TOUR was a 63, which he’s shot three times, most recently in the first round of the 2007 Nissan Open. His previous best score here was a 65 in the second round in 2010.

This marks the sixth time Harrington has held at least a share of the opening-round lead. None of the previous five have resulted in victory. His last first-round lead was at the 2010 Travelers Championship, where he finished in a tie for fifth.

Since its 2000 inception, the only first-round leader of the Transitions Championship to go on to win was in 2002 when K.J. Choi achieved the feat.

The closest competitor to Harrington is Will Claxton, who is four shots back.

Claxton, who Monday qualified into last year’s Transitions Championship, holed a 93-yard wedge at the par-5 14th hole for an eagle and birdied the par-4 18th to cap his day.

His previous best score on TOUR? A 66, which he posted in the first rounds of the Sony Open in Hawaii and Mayakoba Golf Classic.

Meanwhile, 51-year-old Kenny Perry, who is sponsored by Transitions, opened with a 66.

It was his best score since the first round of the 2011 Viking Classic, where he finished in a tie for 38th.

Perry, who is making his third PGA TOUR start this week, has made three Champions Tour starts as well this season.

Most recently, Perry won the ACE Group Classic in Naples for his second Champions Tour title.

Three players are tied for the lead at the Mayakoba Golf Classic, including Daniel Summerhays, Will Claxton and Greg Owen. Chris Stroud sits one stroke back at 7 under.

Summerhays fired a 6-under 65 to grab his share of the second-round lead. He made seven birdies on Friday.

“It's funny, you know, you start out Friday, and you got your goals ‑‑ you know, you gotta make the cut, first of all, to have a chance on the weekend, made a couple birdies early on,” Summerhays said. “I hit it to an inch on the third hole, so I started with a couple birdies, and it kind of just set me at ease there.”

Defending champion Johnson Wagner is tied for 43rd, while notables Greg Norman, the El Camaleon course designer, and Mike Weir missed the cut.

Click here for more on the Mayakoba Golf Classic.

The second round of the Mayakoba Golf Classic is cruising along with Greg Owen and Will Claxton currently sharing the lead at 8 under after shooting 67 and 68, respectively, on Friday.

There’s a long way to go in the round and of course the tournament -- Charles Howell III is just two back and on the back nine -- but a win for either would be huge.

Both guys got their cards for this season by tying for 18th at q-school. Owen has managed four starts this season with a tie for ninth at Pebble Beach his best result, while Claxton has made three starts, missing the cut in two of them.

The top-10 by Owen was his first on the PGA TOUR since 2009, while Claxton has one top-25 in just a handful of starts after spending 2010 on the NGA Hooters Tour and making just one start on TOUR in 2011.

Other notables to keep an eye on through the second round: Kevin Stadler (T6 at 5 under), Matt Every and Billy Mayfair (both T9 and 4 under), and Robert Allenby, who is also 4 under and on the back nine.

Will Claxton leads by one stroke at the Mayakoba Golf Classic, but he’s got plenty of competition right behind him. The Auburn alum, one of only two players with bogey-free rounds on Thursday, is trailed by seven players, including Charles Howell III.

“It was good today.  It was a little bit windy early, which around here is fairly commonplace, but it wasn't -- didn't really pick up, you know, maybe till our sixth or seventh hole, so we got to get a little bit in the calm,” Howell said. “You know, there's a long way to go yet, though.”

Claxton is making just his fifth start on the PGA TOUR, while veteran Nick Price is making his 463 ^rd. The Champions Tour pro fired a 69 in the first round. Another veteran, Greg Norman, designed the El Camaleon course, got off to a slow start with an opening 79.

Click here for more on Rd. 1 of the Mayakoba Golf Classic

LA QUINTA, Calif. -- Through the first three rounds of the final stage of q-school Will Claxton is atop the leaderboard for a second straight day after a 69 Friday on the Stadium Course at PGA West that leaves him at 13 under.

Two shots back are Bobby Gates, Matt Jones and Seung-yul Noh.

Of course winning isn’t necessarily all that important. Finishing in the top 25 is. Some of the notable names among that group with three rounds to go include Vaughn Taylor, Billy Hurley III, Harris English, William McGirt, Adam Hadwin and Bob May.

The biggest difference between the second and third rounds? Wind, or lack thereof on Friday. In calmer, sunnier conditions, scores were much lower with three players going as low as 8 under and one, Robert Streb, 9 under. For Streb, who graduated from Kansas State in 2009, that was a 15-shot improvement over his second round score.

Two others, Lee Williams and Chris Tidland, meanwhile, had holes-in-one.

By Brian Wacker, PGATOUR.COM

LA QUINTA, Calif. -- Q-school has plenty of pressure all on its own. Add in winds consistently in the 20-25 mph range -- with gusts as high as 50 -- and scoring has taken on a whole new meaning here in the second round. Case in point: As of this moment, only nine players have recorded rounds in the 60s. Seven more players failed to break 80, including Brendan Pappas, who shot 86 -- currently the highest score in the books Thursday.

As for the leaderboard, there’s still a long way to go here in the second of six rounds at PGA West. Matt Jones, however, was one of those players to break 70, carding a 68 on the Stadium Course to earn a share of the lead at 9 under. Harris English and Will Claxton are also 9 under, but they are still on the golf course.

Some other notable names in the top 25 on the leaderboard: Billy Hurley III, Vaughn Taylor, Jeff Maggert, Dean Wilson, Bob Estes, Troy Merritt, Adam Hadwin and Sam Saunders.