GOLF : Strange Shoots 65; U.S. Ties Europeans

Curtis Strange had the day’s best score, but the U.S. and European teams finished tied with six points apiece Thursday in the $1.03-million Four Tours World Championship of Golf at Inagi, Japan.

Strange scored a pair of eagles and three birdies for a bogey-free 65 and beat Mark James of the European Tour, who had a 71.

A victory is worth two points and a draw worth one in the team competition among four golf Tours from the United States, Europe, Australia-New Zealand and Japan.

Ken Green beat Ian Woosnam, 70-73, and British Open Champ Mark Calcavecchia edged Jose-Maria Olazabal, 72-73.

The Europeans collected six points after Bernhard Langer beat PGA winner Payne Stewart, 70-73; Gordon Brand Jr. beat Chip Beck, 68-69; and Ronan Rafferty beat Tom Kite, the PGA’s top money-winner, 69-70, on the hilly 7,071-yard Tokyo Yomiuri Country Club course.

Strange made a 25-foot putt for an eagle-3 on the 518-yard fourth hole and rolled in a 60-footer on the 535-yard 17th hole.

The Australia-New Zealand team, led by Greg Norman, beat Japan, 8-4.

Norman routed Tateo Ozaki, 68-77; Wayne Grady beat Kouichi Suzuki, 73-75; Ian Baker-Finch beat Katsunari Takahashi, 71-74, and Brian Jones beat Toru Nakamura, 71-73.