GOLF ROUNDUP : U.S. Defeats Europe in World Tournament

Chip Beck, Mark Calcavecchia and Tom Kite each beat European opponents by six strokes Sunday, boosting the U.S. PGA team to its third consecutive victory in the $1.03 million Four Tours World Championship of Golf at Inagi, Japan.

Each team won three matches, tying the team score at 6-6, but the United States won on the basis of better total strokes, 404 to 416.

Japan beat Australia-New Zealand, 9-3, for third place in the tournament on the hilly 7,071-yard Tokyo Yomiuri Country Club course.

The United States and Europe advanced to the final after three days of round-robin play among the teams representing the four major golf tours.

For the Americans, British Open champion Calcavecchia defeated Mark James, 68-74, Beck beat Bernhard Langer, 62-68 and Kite topped Ian Woosnam, 65-71.

For Europe, Ronan Rafferty, the European tour’s leading money winner, beat Ken Green, 66-70, Gordon Brand Jr. beat PGA champion Payne Stewart, 69-70 and Jose-Maria Olazabal beat U.S. Open champion Curtis Strange, 68-69.

Elaine Crosby of the United States shot a two-under-par 70 to win the $500,000 Mazda Japan Classic at Otsu, Japan, by three strokes for her first victory on the LPGA Tour.

Crosby, who joined the tour in October 1984, earned $75,000.

“I just tried to make a lot of pars and expect some birdies,” Crosby said.

Crosby had rounds of 71-64-70 for a 205 total, 11 under par.