Green prevails in International

Ken Green more than tripled his earnings this year when hecaptured the $180,000 first prize yesterday in the inaugural $1million International tournament at Castle Rock, Colo.

Green, who has spent five years on the PGA Tour, shot abogey-free, 6-under-par 66 in the championship round to take thetitle. That was good for 12 points in the modified Stablefordscoring system used in this event. He was three points ahead of 1985Masters champion Bernhard Langer.

In one round of golf, Green more than tripled his 1986 earnings,winning a shootout in which a dozen players started even and battledfor the sport's richest single-day purse.

"I can't play any better," Green said. "The feeling isincredible. I can't even think about how much money this is. This is a lot of bucks.

"I'm not Greg Norman or Bernhard Langer or Jack Nicklaus. Idon't have millions of dollars.

"I kind of amaze myself sometimes. I'm not in the heat thatoften. I'm not up there that much. I've had a chance to win maybefour tournaments, and I've won two of them."

It lifted his earnings from the year from $56,645 to $236,645.

"Incredible," said Green, whose only previous tour victory cameat last year's Buick Open. "I can't even think about it."

With $700,000 still at stake during the final round, thepressure began to tell on player after player as they struggled onthe back nine.

Kenny Knox finished the front nine with six points, but playedthe back nine in 2-over 38. Donnie Hammond started the back ninewith three bogeys and a double bogey. Joey Sindelar - despitefinishing in a tie for third - missed two short birdie putts in theclosing holes.

But Green made tough, par-saving putts on the 13th and 15thholes, and then made 6-foot birdie putts on the 16th and 17th.

The Stableford system awards two points for a birdie and fivefor an eagle. One point is deducted for a bogey and three for adouble bogey or worse.

Langer came to the 480-yard, par-4 18th needing an eagle to beatGreen. Even though a bogey would have cost him more than $40,000, hetook the gamble.

"The percentage was very small," Langer said. "But how manytimes do you get to win $180,000? I knew that if I made a bogey it would be expensive. But I tried anyway."Langer parred the hole.

Sindelar and J.C. Snead finished with eight points and each won$63,000 apiece.

NESTLE: Pat Bradley called it a career shot - a 206-yard approach for a tap-in eagle onNo. 16 - that gave her the LPGA's single-season earnings record andfirst place in the $240,000 Nestle World Championship at Buford, Ga.

Starting the final round eight shots behind, Bradley fired a9-under-par 63.

"It came very easily out there, I'll have to admit," she said."All year long I've been making people stop, look and listen."

Bradley lifted her season earnings to $482,496 with the $78,000first prize - biggest in LPGA history - with her 9-under-par 279total for 72 holes. She went to $2,276,693 for her 13 years on tour,also an LPGA record for all-time winnings. It also was her fifthtitle in 1986.

She had moved into position for her late charge with fivebirdies on the front side. Then, after six pars in succession, sheknocked in a 15-foot birdie putt on the 15th.

Then came the career shot, a 4-wood that stopped less than sixinches from the cup on the 403-yard, par-5 16th. The tap-in made her 8-under. She followed with a 15-foot birdie onthe 17th.

The heroics gave Bradley a two-shot victory over Nancy Lopez,who closed with 69, and Betsy King, who shot 73.

SENIORS: Bruce Crampton shot 72 in the final round of the PGASeniors' tournament for a 210 total to win the $250,000 GTE NorthwestClassic at Redmond, Wash. Two strokes back were Don January andGeorge Lanning.

LPGA: Cindy Mackey held a two-stroke lead over Colleen Walkermidway through the final round of the $200,000 LPGA MasterCardtournament when play was suspended because of thunderstorms atElmsford, N.Y. The tournament will be completed today.

ENGLAND: Mark James of Britain sank a 15-foot birdie putt on thefirst playoff hole to beat Lee Trevino and Hugh Baoicchi and win the$270,000 Benson and Hedges International Open at Fulford, England.