LA QUINTA — Steve Stricker stepped away several times from his tee shot on the par-4 10th hole at the Palmer Course at PGA West on Sunday.

The unpredictable wind was whipping across the water. After losing his three-shot lead with a triple bogey on the par-4 seventh, he was tied for the lead with Pat Perez.

“I backed off a couple of times there trying to wait for it to calm down,” Stricker said, “and it never really calmed down. And at some point, I've got to hit the shot.”

The wind whisked that shot away as well as his chances to win the 50th Bob Hope Chrysler Classic.

Stricker wanted to work the tee shot from right to left, but he started it from left to right. Then the elements kicked in.

“Once it got out into the middle there, the wind just ripped it right to the right,” Stricker said.

He knew the shot had sailed out of bounds.

“That one hurt the most,” he said.

Stricker sent his subsequent tee shot left into the water and ended up with a quadruple bogey 8 on the 10th. After starting the day with a three-stroke lead, he was suddenly four shots behind Perez.

“I don't know what to say,” Stricker said. “It was just two bad shots.”

Perez sympathized with his playing partner.

“It was tough to watch,” Perez said, “but I've had that day. I've been there. So I feel for him.”

Perez has always been a fan of the tour veteran Stricker, who has won four titles and more than $17 million in his 19-year professional career.

“He just is one of those guys that I always root for because he's been awesome ever since I met him,” Perez said.

With pins tucked away in inaccessible positions Sunday, it was tough for Stricker to mount a comeback. The erratic wind, gusting to more than 30 mph, compounded the problem.

“It was tough to pick a correct club,” Stricker said, “and it was hard for me to feel comfortable with anything. And it showed for me a couple of times today.”

The wind seemed to change directions on a whim.

“We would feel it in our face one hole,” Stricker said, “and the same hole it would feel downwind.”

The conditions persisted.

“It changed directions 15 times today,” said John Merrick, who finished second, three shots behind Perez.

The wind inflated scoring on the host Palmer Course after players had assaulted it with birdies earlier in the week. The scoring average was 68.81 during the first four rounds, but it shot up to 70.35 on Sunday. The disparity was most pronounced by Stricker, who shot 61 on the course Friday, but 77 on Sunday.

Despite his disappointing finish, Stricker was not going to let two disastrous holes define his week.

“If you would have told me I would have played like I did this week coming into the tournament, I still take a lot of positives away,” he said, “Even though today didn't turn out the way I wanted it to.”