Steve Stricker has given himself plenty of chances to win this year, but none quite as good as this.
A burst of birdies at The Barclays carried Stricker to a 6-under-par 65 and allowed him to zoom past K.J. Choi and into the lead Saturday in Harrison, N.Y., the first time he has held the 54-hole lead in nine years.
Finishing it off for his first victory since 2001 won’t be easy.
Choi overcame some errant tee shots on the back nine with a birdie-birdie finish to salvage a 70, leaving him one shot behind. Hunter Mahan tied a tournament scoring record for the second time in five weeks, this one a 9-under 62 that took him from the middle of the pack to two shots behind.
And then there was Rich Beem, perhaps the most desperate contender. Needing a top-10 finish to avoid being eliminated from the PGA Tour playoffs, Beem overcame a rocky start with an eagle on the ninth hole and a 69. He is tied with Mahan, giving him his best chance to win since his 2002 PGA Championship.
LPGA Tour: Lorena Ochoa leads by a stroke going into the final round of the Safe- way Classic in Portland, Ore., after two late bogeys narrowed her advantage over Sophie Gustafson.
Ochoa, who has won two straight tournaments, had eight birdies earlier in her round that helped her finish with a 66, giving her an 11-under 133. Gustafson, who shared the lead going into Saturday’s round with rookie Ji-Young Oh, had a 68 to go to 10-under 134.
Champions Tour: Ray Stewart, who only made it into the Boeing Classic by surviving a 10-man playoff in a Monday qualifier, shot a 4-under 68 and will take a surprising four-shot lead into today’s final round in Snoqualmie, Wash.
U.S. Amateur: Colt Knost, a 22-year-old Southern Methodist graduate, is one step from completing a rare amateur golf double after beating Jhonattan Vegas 4 and 3 to advance to the finals in Daly City, Calif.
Knost, who won the U.S. Public Links title in June, will face Michael Thompson of the University of Alabama in today’s 36-hole final. Thompson beat Casey Clendenon 3 and 2.
