Jason Day, Scott Piercy tied for lead at Bridgestone

Jason Day had no indication that Saturday at the Bridgestone Invitational would be such hard work until one swing.

His plan was to hit a draw with his driver, and the shot started out to the right. Trouble is, it kept going to the right until he was deep in the trees.

"That came out of nowhere," Day said. "It wasn't just down the right. It was way right. I think it's more of a mental thing when it comes to those ones because when you're sharp and you're on your game and you're hitting it great, you don't miss them that far."

It didn't help that he missed again on the next hole. And then the next one. Or that he hit only three fairways on a Firestone course that demands more.

Day still managed to turn that into a 1-under 69 to share the lead with Scott Piercy.

"I felt like Mr. Haverkamp out of 'Caddyshack' trying to find his golf ball and not knowing where the golf hole goes," Day said.

But he could find the bottom of the cup, including three par putts of at least 8 feet.

Piercy, coming off a runner-up finish in the U.S. Open two weeks ago at Oakmont, quickly tied Day for the lead with an eagle on the par-5 second hole and was flawless until the final hole. He had a one-shot lead until pulling his tee shot into the left rough, running a low shot through the green and into a back bunker, and having to scramble just to escape with a bogey and a 67.

They were at 5-under 205, the highest 54-hole score at this World Golf Championship since 2007.

Piercy loses lead on 18th

Only nine players remained under par, and given the firm conditions of Firestone, Day believes all of them have a chance.

Piercy had no such issues. He holed a bunker shot on the second hole for eagle and didn't have any stress in his round except for the 35-foot par putt he holed from the back fringe on the 14th hole. The final hole cost him the lead, but he is driving it well enough to think he has a strong chance to pick up his fourth career victory.

"I know I can do it," Piercy said. "It's just doing it on a consistent basis like a Jordan or a Jason and those guys."

Day opened with a 20-foot birdie putt. He added a short birdie on the sixth hole. A three-putt bogey on the seventh was a nuisance. And then came the drive on No. 8.

"The short game saved me, but mentally I was just trying to grind and grind and grind," Day said.

"Because I thought if I can just somehow get something in and give myself an opportunity for tomorrow...it's very easy, hitting the positions I hit it today, to sit there and go, 'Well, it's just not my day or not my week' and kind of switch off a little bit. But didn't want to allow myself to switch off mentally."