Stricker had seven birdies in his third round

Steve Stricker will take a one-shot lead into the last day of the Barclays Classic at Harrison, New York.

A flurry of birdies carried Stricker to a six-under 65 and allowed him to zoom past KJ Choi and into the lead.

Choi overcame some errant tee shots on the back nine with a birdie-birdie finish to salvage a 70, one behind.

Hunter Mahan tied a tournament scoring record for the second time in five weeks, a nine-under 62 lifting him to two shots off the lead.

Meanwhile Rich Beem overcame a rocky start with an eagle on the ninth hole and a 69, giving him his best position in a final round since February.

Stricker, who was at 14-under 199 to tie the 54-hole record at Westchester, has not won on tour since 2001.

He played in the final group in the Open at Carnoustie and was tied for the lead going into the back nine at the US Open, fading both times.

"One of these times, it's going to come out in my favour," Stricker said. "I haven't been beating myself up about not winning any of those events, but obviously, I would like to win.

"It's been a long time since I've won, and I'm just going to try to bring as many positive thoughts to the table tomorrow as I can."

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Ten players were separated by five shots going into the final round, and that includes two-time winner Ernie Els, who finished his round of 68 with an eagle on the final hole.

Former US Open champion Geoff Ogilvy had a 69 and was in the group at 203 that included Woody Austin (66) and Rory Sabbatini, who faded badly after a strong start to the tournament.