Linksters Gun by Providence at TCC

On the familiar and stately fairways of The Country Club in Brookline, the Harvard linksters yesterday smoothed out the kinks in their collective swings and defeated New England power Providence in their best performance to date.

Harvard unloosed four sub-eighty rounds to subdue the Friars by a mere three strokes in the first match on the Crimson's home 18. Ron Himelman blazed into the clubhouse with a five-over par 76 to pace the linksmen and tie for first place with Providence's Bob Milich.

The Crimson stacked up neatly behind Himelman with Chip Raffi posting a 77, Carroll Lowenstein a 78, and Jim Dales a 79. The fifth score included in the fiveman team total of 393 was an 83, carded by both John Thompson and Sanjeev Mehra. Spence Fitzgibbons, who has developed a nasty hook lately, logged an 84.

Mehra, a native of India, played his first match for the Crimson yesterday. He didn't bring his clubs with him to Cambridge but had to go out and buy a set at Brine's on Monday, with which he proceeded to qualify for yesterday's match.

It was a red letter day for golf on the 6,505 yard course that has twice hosted the U.S. Open and the Walker Cup since the original 18 was completed in 1909.

Himelman, whose worst round this season has been an 83, displayed spotless iron play on his approaches to the small bent grass greens that average only about 6000 square feet.

Himelman got off to a shaky start when he caught three sand traps on the first two holes. After taking a bogey on number one, his drive on the short par four second landed in the church pews of traps along the left of the fairway. He then beached his second shot as he had a fried egg lie in the greenside bunker, since the bunkers have been recently filled with finer sand. The best Himelman could manage was a double bogey.

Better and Better

After going three-up after only two holes, Himelman unleashed his assault on par. He saved par on the third when he socked a fading two-iron to within eight feet of the cup. He then parred the next nine holes. After bogeying 12, he ladled a nine-iron four feet from the pin for a gimme birdie on 13. He lost his chance for a 75 when he three-putted the final hole.

Raffi went around the back nine in an even par 36 despite suffering from competitive butterflies. He bogeyed 15 but came back with a birdie two on the 186-yd, 16th. His five-iron flew over the yawning trap guarding the flagstick and landed as slftly as a sparrow. He sewed up his 77, known as a Red Grange on the pro tour, by hitting another five iron onto the back of the heart-shaped 18th green.