Golf Roundup : Too Little, Too Late--U.S. Loses Ryder Cup

Sam Torrance of Scotland scored the clinching point Sunday as the Britain-Europe team ended 28 years of frustration and defeated the United States, 16 1/2-11 1/2, in the biennial Ryder Cup matches at Sutton Coldfield, England.

The European captain, Tony Jacklin, had tears in his eyes as he rushed onto the 18th green at the Belfry Golf Club and hugged Torrance on his clinching, comeback 1-up victory over U.S. Open champion Andy North.

“Unbelievable,” Jacklin said. “It’s history. We made history today. It was a dream finish. You dream of winning a Ryder Cup that way.”

The British-European team, which took a two-point lead into the last day’s play, won six of the first eight singles matches and halved the other one to take an unbeatable lead.

The Americans won three of the last four, but it was too late.

It marked the first British-European victory since 1957 and only their fourth since British seed merchant Samuel Ryder first put up the Cup for play in 1927.

Pro tour veteran Jim Thorpe played steady, unerring golf to chalk up his first tournament championship, a three-stroke victory over Jack Nicklaus in the $300,000 Greater Milwaukee Open at Franklin, Wis.

Thorpe, 36, of Buffalo, N.Y., followed his record-setting round of 62 Saturday with a two-under-par 70 to finish at 14-under 274.

Nicklaus, golf’s all-time money-winner, finished at 277, after a final round of 71.

JoAnne Carner birdied four holes, including the first, to take a bogey-free final round and win the $200,000 LPGA in Kent, Wash..

Her closing 68 gave her a 279 total, nine under par for 72 holes on the 6,202-yard Meridian Valley Country Club course. The victory was worth $30,000.

Peter Thomson fired a third-straight three-under-par 69 Sunday for a 54-hole total of 207 and cruised to a four-shot victory in the $250,000 United Virginia Bank-PGA Senior tournament at Richmond, Va.