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Golf Roundup : Bobby Wadkins Birdies Final Hole to Defeat Marsh in Japan

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<i> From Times Wire Services </i>

Bobby Wadkins of the United States birdied the final hole Sunday and won Japan’s richest golf tournament, the $812,500 Dunlop Phoenix event at Miyazaki, Japan, by one stroke over Graham Marsh of Australia.

Wadkins’ final round of 68, four under par, and 72-hole total of 277, 11 under, earned him $146,250. He also had won this tournament in 1979.

Wadkins birdied the 16th but bogeyed the 17th. On the 18th, he rolled in a 6 1/2-foot birdie putt to edge Marsh, who closed with a 70 for 278. Marsh received $81,250. Tsuneyuki Nakajima led for the first three rounds, but slipped to a final-round 74 for a 280 total to finish third.

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Bruce Crampton capped a record-setting weekend by shooting a four-under-par 68 to win the $200,000 Shearson Lehman Brothers Senior tournament by four strokes at Delray Beach, Fla.

Crampton completed three rounds over the par-72, 6,750-yard Gleneagles Country Club course in 200 strokes, two less than the 54-hole record that was shared by five players.

Crampton, who leads the senior tour with earnings of $454,299, won $30,000 after holding off a mild challenge by Butch Baird, who finished second at 204.

Chi Chi Rodriguez, who missed a chance to overtake Crampton in the race for the $125,000 bonus awarded to the tour’s top money-winner, had a 68 for a total of 206. That tied him for third with Jim Ferree, who had a 67.

Greg Norman, in his 29th and final tournament of the year, shot a 68 to win the $100,000 West Australian Open at Perth with a 12-under-par total of 276.

He began the final round two strokes behind five-time champion Terry Gale of Australia, but drew even with a 50-foot putt for an eagle at the seventh and grabbed the lead with a birdie on the par-five 11th.

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Gale, who finished second at 277, missed a chance to force a playoff when his putt from the edge of the green on the 18th just failed to drop.

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