Kevin Streelman tees off on the 13th hole during the third round of The Barclays golf tournament. Streelman fired a 3-under-par 68 on Saturday in Paramus, N.J.

Paramus, N.J. ? Steve Stricker lost a ball and a big lead Saturday at sun-baked Ridgewood Country Club, leaving Kevin Streelman atop the leaderboard and more than two dozen players in The Barclays title chase. Streelman shot a 3-under 68 for a one-stroke lead.

After fading his drive into the rough on the par-4 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 7 to drop to 7 under – a stroke behind Sergio Garcia.

By the time Stricker signed for a 6-over 77, he was four strokes back at 4 under in a 12-way tie for 11th.

Vijay Singh, a three-time winner at Westchester, shot a 66 to join Garcia (69), Mike Weir (67) and Paul Casey (69) at 7 under. Garcia, a two-time champion at Westchester, had six birdies and four bogeys.

Kenny Perry, effectively the FedEx Cup leader with top-ranked Tiger Woods sidelined by a knee injury, was 5 under after a 72.

Mahan, the first-round leader after a morning 62, also struggled in the final group, shooting a 74 to join Stricker in the large group at 4 under. Phil Mickelson was 1 under after a 72. He double-hit a flop shot from the deep rough on the 271-yard, par-4 fifth en route to a double bogey.