Streelman moves into lead

Steve Stricker lost a ball and a big lead Saturday at Ridgewood Country Club in Paramus, N.J., leaving Kevin Streelman atop the leaderboard after three rounds of The Barclays.

After fading his drive into the rough on the par-four 12th, Stricker’s approach shot from a tough angle skipped along the far side of the left rough and into a tangled mess of shoulder-high grass, bushes and weeds.

Despite TV replays and a large search party, the ball couldn’t be located and Stricker -- four strokes ahead after 10 holes -- took a penalty stroke and trudged back to the spot where he hit the costly shot.

The winner last year at Westchester Country Club, Stricker advanced the new ball 40 yards short of the green, hit his fifth shot 30 feet past the hole and two-putted for a triple-bogey seven to drop to seven under -- a stroke behind Sergio Garcia, who shot a 69.

By the time Stricker signed for a six-over-par 77, he was four strokes back at four under in a 12-way tie for 11th.

Streelman, in his rookie season on the PGA Tour, took the lead at eight under with a 25-foot birdie putt from the fringe on the par-four 16th and parred the final two holes for a 68 and an eight-under 205 total.

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Helen Alfredsson shot a five-under 67 to take a one-stroke lead after the second round of the Safeway Classic at Portland, Ore. She is at 10-under 134, one stroke ahead of Sophie Gustafson, who shot 68.

Alfredsson made six birdies -- four on the front nine and three with putts of seven feet or less. She finished her round by holing a 15-foot birdie putt at the par-four, 383-yard 18th.

Three strokes back of Alfredsson in third place at 137 are Paula Creamer (68) and Kelli Kuehne (70).

Lorena Ochoa and first-round leader Angela Park are in a group five shots back, and Annika Sorenstam rebounded from a first-round 72 to shoot 68, putting her among nine players at 140.

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Scott Simpson thought shooting 65 or 66 at the TPC Snoqualmie Ridge in Washington wasn’t out of the question for someone playing well.

Then he went out and proved it.

Using a new putter, Simpson matched the lowest round of the tournament with a six-under 66 and has a two-shot lead entering the final round of the Boeing Classic.

Simpson has a two-shot lead over David Edwards, who shot a 67 and made all five of his birdies on par fours, some of them the most difficult holes on the course.

Tom Kite, who won the tournament two years ago, is two shots back following a 67.

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Danny Lee defeated Patrick Reed, 3 and 2, and Drew Kittleson beat Adam Mitchell, 4 and 2, in the semifinals of the U.S. Amateur at Pinehurst, N.C. Lee and Kittleson will meet in today’s 36-hole final.