RENO, Nev. -- Greg Chalmers birdied five of his last eight holes Friday to take a two-point lead in the Barracuda Championship, the PGA Tours only modified Stableford scoring event.The 42-year-old Australian had a 10-point round to reach 24 points at Montreux in the scoring system that awards eight points for double eagle, five points for an eagle, two points for a birdie and deducts a point for a bogey and three points for a double bogey or worse.I played OK, Chalmers said. It wasnt as good as yesterday ball-striking-wise, but then I ran in a lot of really nice putts. ... I stayed out of trouble on the holes I needed to and picked up some really good birdies where I needed to.Chalmers has only conditional tour status. He has made six starts this season on the PGA Tour, tying for 58th in the first in China in November and missing the cut in the last five. The two-time Australian Open and Australian PGA champion also has played in nine Web.com Tour events.First-round leader Martin Laird of Scotland bogeyed three of his last six holes -- finishing with a three-putt on the par-4 ninth -- to drop into a tie for second with 2013 winner Gary Woodland. Laird also had five birdies in a seven-point round. Woodland had eight points with five birdies and two bogeys.Yesterday morning the greens were immaculate. If you hit a good putt, it was pretty much going in, Laird said. This afternoon, I hit two or three putts from 6 to 10 feet, felt like I hit good putts, and they wiggle around and miss. Same for everyone that plays in the afternoon. Its just kind of the nature of these greens. Hopefully, I can have some wiggle in the next couple of days.Chalmers, Laird and most of the players are fighting for a spot in the British Open in two weeks at Royal Troon in Scotland. Because of the West Virginia floods that led to The Greenbrier Classic being canceled next week, a spot was transferred to the leading player not already eligible at Montreux.Obviously, it would be great, Laird said. Its always nice for me to go back to Scotland. The Opens my favorite golf tournament in the year. .. But its not really on my mind right now. Im just trying to play good golf and keep firing away at flags and, hopefully, make some birdies.Woodland was one of five players already in the Open to advance to the weekend.Colt Knost was fourth at 21 after an eight-point round.A lot of good and a lot of bad, honestly, Knost said. Yesterday, I really wasnt happy with my ball-striking. And today, I thought I found something on the range. I hit some better ones, but kind of still a little sloppy. But it definitely plays tougher here in the afternoon and the greens get a little bumpy.He recently moved from Dallas to Scottsdale, Arizona.I was out there all winter just working on my game out at Whisper Rock and decided to make the move permanent, Knost said. It just really allows me to focus on golf and everything. I think its a big reason why Im playing so well this year.Brendan Steele eagled the par-5 18th to reach 20 points. He hit a 210-yard shot to 12 feet.Its always good to have an eagle anywhere in your round, but definitely nice to finish with one, said Steele, already in the British Open. Its nice that they gave us a hole like 18 to finish on. It really makes it exciting for the fans and fun for us.Former Illinois player Charlie Danielson had 11 points in his professional debut. He eagled the 18th for the second straight day.Graham DeLaet struggled to follow his nine-point opening round in his return from a five-week break to sort out anxiety issues with his putting. The bearded Canadian closed with a double bogey, leaving him with eight points heading into the weekend.Camilo Villegas, tied for second with 14 points Thursday, lost seven points with two double bogeys and a bogey to make the cut on the number.Jon Rahm and 2014 winner Geoff Ogilvy also had seven points. Rahm tied for third last week at Congressional in his pro debut to earn a British Open spot. The former Arizona State player is from Spain.J.J. Henry, the 2012 and 2015 winner, missed the cut with three points. Ken Daneyko Jersey Large . Jim Rutherford, President and General Manager of the Carolina Hurricanes, announced Wednesday that the team would assign Swedish forward Elias Lindholm to his nations team for the upcoming tournament. Custom Devils T-shirts . Having already announced that the race will start May 9 with three stages in Northern Ireland and Ireland and finish in Trieste on June 1, the rest of the route was unveiled Monday. http://www.customdevilsjersey.com/ . U.S. District Judge Lorna G. Schofield in Manhattan agreed that lawyers on both sides could make their formal requests by Nov. 8. A hearing is scheduled for a day earlier. Jordan Siev, a lawyer for Rodriguez, wrote in a joint letter to the judge from lawyers on both sides that MLB lawyers planned to ask that the lawsuit be dismissed. Cheap Devils Jerseys . Numbers Game looks into the Canadiens securing the services of Thomas Vanek in a trade with the New York Islanders. The Canadiens Get: LW Thomas Vanek and a conditional fifth-round pick. Custom Ken Daneyko Jersey . After Gasquet beat fifth-seeded Ivan Dodig of Croatia 7-5, 6-3, Tsonga followed up with a 6-7 (3), 6-2, 6-2 win against sixth-seeded Edouard Roger-Vasselin in an all-French match. ANDORRA LA VELLA, Andorra -- Chris Froome has the yellow jersey, Mark Cavendish has won three sprint stages, and Adam Yates sits second in the overall standings. It has been a very successful start to the Tour de France for British cyclists.Its definitely not a fluke, Froome said on Monday as the peloton enjoyed its first rest day, following nine stages which saw Froomes Team Sky stamping its authority on the race.With Froomes victory at Bagneres-de-Luchon and Steve Cummings solo breakaway to the Lac de Payolle, its not exaggerating to say that British riders have taken over the Tour this summer. They have won five out of nine stages so far, and can reasonably hope for a second 1-2 in the space of four years on the Champs-Elysees.No other nation has won more than one stage this year.You look at how far British cycling has come during the last few years, said Froome, who was runner-up to countryman Bradley Wiggins in 2012 then won the race in 2013 and 2015. Its not just by chance. There has been a plan, there have been structures, riders of talent.Competing in only his second Tour, the 23-year-old Yates is leading the next generation of British cyclists. Yates holds the white jersey for best young rider and is just 16 seconds behind Froome overall. After winning the Tour of Turkey in 2014, and the San Sebastian single-day classic last year, he is already being tipped as a future winner of a major Tour.Yates joined the Orica squad with that goal in mind, but said he would focus on stage wins this year while also trying to keep up with Froome and Nairo Quintana.The strategy has been working well so far, and hes seven seconds ahead of Quintana, the Colombian climber who is in fourth place.Irish rider Dan Martin is third overall, 19 seconds behind Froome.They already have shown themselves as contenders, Froome said of Yates and Martin. If they can do what theyve done in the first half, then theyll be on the podium come Paris. But three weeks is a long time. It is a difference between riding a week-long race and a Grand Tour. But so far, theyve shown no weaknesses in that respect.The other big satisfaction of the week for British cycling has been Cavendish. At 31, the Manx Missile has rediscovered his instinct and burst of speed courtesy of the hard track training he put himself through as part of his preparations for the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, where he will be competing in the omnium.With 29 stage wins under his belt, Cavendish is second on the all-time list of Tour stage winners, five behind Eddy Merckxs record of 34, and one ahead of Bernard Hinaultt.ddddddddddddTeam Sky boss Dave Brailsford said the main reason behind Britains dominance dates to nearly 20 years ago, when the National Lottery started to invest millions of pounds into British sport federations.Britain has invested heavily in lower ranks, Brailsford said. It does not happen overnight.Here are some other things learned during the first week of the Tour:---NO RIVALS FOR SKYThere is just one team controlling the race this year, and its Froomes Team Sky.Riders from the British outfit protected Froome in the early flat stages, kept him safe from crashes at the front of the pack, then set the pace in the Pyrenees.The fast tempo they impose in every big ascent prevents Froomes main rivals from attacking, and eventually makes them crack. Among the pre-race favorites, BMCs Tejay van Garderen has already lost 1:01 to Froome, and Astanas Fabio Aru trails by 1:23.If they want to just sit on our wheel and wait until the end and try and catch us, if thats the way they want to try and win the Tour de France, thats fine by me Brailsford said. But if nobody else is going to try and take control then we will.CONSERVATIVE QUINTANASeen as the main threat to Froomes ambition to secure a third Tour win, Nairo Quintana has been fairly discreet.Twice runner-up to Froome, the diminutive climber was expected to attack in the Pyrenees. After being caught off guard by Froomes downhill attack, he took an extremely conservative approach in the climb to Arcalis, sat on Froomes back wheel and did not try anything that could have destabilized the Tour champion.In 2013 and 2015, Quintana managed to gain time on Froome in the closing stages of the Tour. His Movistar team insists there is still a long way to go before the race reaches Paris and that Quintana will have plenty of opportunities to challenge Froome, especially at Mont Ventoux or in the Alps.BARDET IN THE MIXWith Thibault Pinot out of contention, the French hopes of producing a first home Tour winner in 31 years hang on Romain Bardets shoulders.There has been no French champion since Bernard Hinaults fifth victory in 1985.Sixth overall, 44 seconds behind Froome, Bardet had never enjoyed such a good start. And he is not impressed by Sky.It boosts my confidence, Bardet said. Sky is a very powerful team, but I expected them to be stronger (Sunday), Froome was a bit left on his own in the finale. Everything is possible.---AP Sports Writer Andrew Dampf contributed to this story. ' ' '