ECAC Shocker: Golfers Stymie Field

Rookie golf coach Bob Donovan and his linkster quintet of Alex Vik, Dave Paxton, Spence Fitzgibbons, Tom Edwards and Jim Dales might very well have trumpeted in a new era in Harvard golf yesterday as the Crimson blitzed a 14-school field to capture the ECAC New England area championship by four strokes.

Team captain Alex Vik, who holds the Norwegian Amateur Title, fired a team low 75 on Maine's Portland Country Club overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.

Tidy 79

Freshman Tom Edwards, playing only his second collegiate round, shot a tidy 79 playing number five, and was the early morning leader in the clubhouse. He ultimately finished in seventh place for the tourney while returning letterman Spence Fitzgibbons nestled in the tenth spot with an 80.

After finishing well back in the pack in their opening tourney of the season on Friday, the linksmen's team aggregate of 316 yesterday had about as much reverberation on the New England golf world as a delivery of several tons of coal through a conservatory roof.

Vik started out his pacesetting 18 by birdying the 292-yard first hole after fading his drive into a clump of pines. He proceeded to play a choked down punch shot to within ten feet of the flagstick and nailed the putt for his three.

Gunning for a Birdie

He was gunning for a birdie again on number four after he laced an eight iron shot next to the cup but then jerked his three footer off-line. He finished with a 35 going out, his only bogey on the front nine coming on the dog-leg par five fifth hole, when his third shot skittered across the postage stamp green.

After a brilliant salvo of seven consecutive pars, Vik finally succumbed to the extremely tight back nine that Donovan described as "chopped right out of the woods," after pulling a four iron off-line and fluffing his recovery shot. "I should never have had more than a 73--maximum," he said.

Edwards carded his 79 in methodical fashion as he was seldom in any trouble, but like his teammates was hampered by the grainy and very bumpy greens. "Edwards' score was really a nice surprise," Donovan said, but added that "he had pops at eight or nine birdies."

Fitzgibbons kicked off his round by cranking out a stupendous drive that ended up on the apron of the elevated green, a belt of 290 yards over a yawning trap. He then needed four putts to hole out after nudging a tenative first putt well short of the cup.

"It didn't roll for him, either," said an awed Donovan recounting Spence's drive. "You really have to pinpoint it," he added.

Not Up to Par

Neither Dave Paxton playing number two, who shot an 83, nor Jim Dales were in midseason form, although both reeled off skeins of par golf. Paxton contributed greatly to the team effort with a 37 on the front nine but fizzled after leaving a shot out to the right of the green that skidded out of bounds.

Dales settled down to par the fourth through ninth holes but the cathedral of pines on the back nine echoed with his stray shots after he made the turn.

The stunning win yesterday catapulted the linksters into the ECAC tournament for the five regional districts along the East coast, which will be played October 14 at the Spring Vally golf club in Horsham, Pennsylvania.

An exuberant Donovan summed up the linksters' new-found attitude after their startling success. "It's a long winter but we've got a title under our belts now." He said. "It makes it a little shorter winter."