European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 10, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Tuesday March 10, 1992 the stars and stripes a Page 21 Floyd ties pea Mark in doral open win Golf by Bob Green Miami apr Ray Floyd turned Back the Young Man he Calls the Best player in the world today and tied a longevity record set by one of golfs All time greats. Floyd who is 49 regardless of Fred couples denials held off couples for a two stroke Victory sunday in the doral open and joined Sam Snead As the Only Man to win pea tour titles in four decades. Floyd a Triumph secured when couples became entangled in trash far to the right of the 18th Fairway was his first since 1986 and the 22nd of a career that began in 1963. Snead won tournaments from the 1930�?Ts through the 1960�?Ts. A a it a quite an Honor to be mentioned in the same sentence with Sam but in a not near the player he was a Floyd said. But he was too much player for couples or anyone else in the Field on a sunny and Windy Day. A closing round of 70 was enough to do it a to Floyd a Surprise. A i thought id have to shoot 68 or 69,�?� he said. A i knew Freddie was right behind me and he a been the Best player in the world for the last year and a half. No question about  and couples made a run at him. Starting the Days play three strokes behind he closed to one with a Little Sand wedge shot to two feet on the 14th Hole. Couples had opportunities to tie on both the 16th and 17th holes. Facing Birdie putts of eight and 10 feet a i pulled one and pushed the other a he said. A that was the whole thing. I needed one of those. I wanted to go to the 18th in a  but he was one Back on the 18th tee and needed a Birdie to have a Chance. His drive was far to the right. A i tried to draw it and i done to have that shot. It was stupid a couples said. The Ball came to rest beneath a ficus tree surrounded by trash. He  move a piece of Wood for fear of disturbing the Ball and tried to hit through it. The Ball went backward and it took him three to reach the Green. He made bogey-5 and it was Over. A this is very special for me a Floyd said after completing the final round in 70, 2 under Par on Doralys Blue monster course. His winning total was 271, 17 under Par. The Victory Worth $252,000 from the total purse of $1.4 million was his third in this event and moved him into a tie for 23rd on the All time Victory list. Couples was within one stroke of his close Friend golfing Mentor and Ryder cup partner until his last Hole bogey. He tied for second at 273 with Keith Clearwater. Couples had a third consecutive 69 and became the first player to put together four rounds in the 60�?Ts in the 31-year history of this tournament. Clearwater shot 68. Davis love Iii and Ken Green tied for fourth at 274. Each had a closing 67. Howard Twitty was next at 70275. Larry Nelson playing in the final twosome with Floyd bogeyed the last Hole to Complete a round of 72 and dropped Back into a four Way tie at 276. A a in a disappointed i did no to make it More interesting on the 18th,�?� couples said. A but in a very pleased for  and age couples said has nothing to do with it. A a he a younger than i am really a said couples 31, a Winner last weekend in los Angeles and the 1991 player of the year. A a he a not a 49-year-old Man. He does no to just play Ray Floyd reacts after sinking Birdie putt in doral now and then. He plays a full schedule and he plays Good All the  a Floyd however was coming off a two week absence from Competition. He had to Rush Home from Tucson when his nearby Home was destroyed by Firic and he played in this event Only on the insistence of his wife Maria. A she did t come to the Golf course today a Floyd said. A with All the crowds with All she a been through it might have been too much for  and then he dedicated the Victory to  triumphs Poway Calif. A leading the Lyga is nothing new for Judy Dickinson who showed that she knows How to stay atop a Leader Board As Well. Dickinson the president of the Tours executive committee held off a charging Meg Mallon with three straight birdies to Start the Back nine sunday in route to a 2-under-Par 70 and a two shot Victory in the Lyga Inamori class. Dickinson who posted 69s for at least a share of the Lead in each of the first three rounds finished at 11-under 277 for her fourth Victory in 15 years on the tour and her first since 1986. Dickinson who earned $63,750, equated the tournament record of 11-under set by Japan Sayako Okamoto in 1988. Mallon carded five birdies without a bogey for a 67 and a four Day total of 9-under 279. Cindy Figg Currier shot a 71 to tie for third at 284 with Elaine Crosby and Debbie  wins in Japan Yamagu Rukuson Japan Patty Sheehan shot a 4-under-Par 68 sunday and won the Japan up Gay a season opening tournament by four shots leading an american sweep of the top three places. Sheehan finished at 8-under 208 and won $83,000. Cindy Rarick placed second at 212 after a 70 and Amy Benz was third at 213 after a 69. Watson ends Long drought Hong Kong a it took five years and a trip hallway around the world for Tom Watson to find a Victory. Watson wingless since his Nabisco championships of Golf title in 1987, survived a final round Challenge from Ronan Rafferty for a three shot Victory sunday in the Hong Kong open. A it was a struggle but it feels great to win a Watson said. A i have not had this feeling in years and i Hope to have it again  Watson who tied for second in last years Phoenix open and tied for third in the masters entered the final round with a seven shot Lead but almost blew it with a 3-Over-Par 74. Rafferty from Northern Ireland had a final round 70 to finish second to Watson a 10-under total of 274. The 42-year-old Watson a five time British open Champion began his final round with a bogey and missed Short Birdie putts on nos. 2 and 3. A i could not get a Good feeling with my Putter a he said. A that has been my Nemesis for the last three or four years. The nerves just would not let me sort out the problems with the Short putts  Watson bogeyed no. 6, holed Long putts to save Par at the seventh and eighth holes then birdied no. 9 on the 6,732-Yard, Par-71 Royal Hong Kong course. A that was the guts of my round right there a he said. Rafferty meanwhile had birdies at the second eighth and ninth holes but bogeyed the fifth. He had eight consecutive pars on Back nine then bogeyed no. 18. Defending Champion Bernhard Langer of Germany was third one shot behind Rafferty. Before the Start of play Langer took a pain killer to Case a backache. Watson who has career earnings of More than $5.7 million collected $41,650 for sundays Victory. A it feels great to have won a he said a and i Hope this feeling will go  Crampton corrals West classic Ojai Calif. Apr Bruce Crampton ended a string of second place finishes in the get West classic shooting a final round 66 sunday to set a tournament re Lay to Cord and beat Chi Chi Rodriguez in the senior pea tour event. A Crampton a 54-Hole total of 195 topped the old tournament record of 197 set by Walter Zembriski in 1989. Crampton finished at 15-under, three strokes ahead of defending Champion Rodriguez who had a final round 70. A1 Geiberger closed with a 66 to finish third at 9-under. The 56-year-old Crampton earned $67,500 for his 19th career senior Victory. He has won at least one event for seven straight seasons. The Victory in the $450,000 tournament was Crampton a first in 14 months. A the adrenalin is flowing but it Hasni to hit me yet Quot Crampton said. A i Haven to had a Chance to go Back and relive the moment. I will do that  in his three previous appearances in the get West classic Crampton was second. His Chance to overtake Rodriguez did no to look Good Early in the tournament especially when the puerto rican shot a course record 8-under-Par 62 on Friday. But Crampton took up the Chase shooting a 63 saturday. He began sundays final round one shot behind Rodriguez. Crampton took the Lead for Good with a Birdie on no. 8, one of five for the Day. Crampton made the rounds decisive Birdie sinking a 7-foot putt on no. 15 to go up by two with three holes to play. Ballesteros captures Ballares open Majorca Spain up Severiano Ballesteros of Spain won his 51st tournament in Europe when he clinched the $440,000 open de Ballares title in Majorca sunday but he was taken to a six Hole playoff with Sweden a Jesper Parnic Vik before he did it. Both shot final round 68s, 4-under-Par. Ballesteros bogeyed three of the last four to throw the event into a play off. They finished on 11-under-Par 277, two strokes ahead of Argentina a Vicente Fernandez who shot a 69 sunday. Two spaniards Santiago Luna and Jose Rivero tied for fourth at 8 under