Golfers Win Two in Rain; Beat Indians, Crusaders

The Crimson golfers are finally hitting their stride after a month of troubles, or maybe they're just getting used to playing in horrid weather conditions.

Whatever the answer, the Harvard golf team pulled out its biggest win of the season to date with victories over Dartmouth and Holy Cross in yesterday's triangular at Pleasant Valley Country Club in Worcester. Harvard's team total was 397, compared to 401 for Holy Cross and 402 for Dartmouth.

"It was cold. It rained all day. The greens were lumpy. I had four layers of clothes. None of us wanted to play." John Stoviak said after the match. But the weather didn't seem to hurt Stoviak, as he turned in the low score of the day, an 18-hole total of 74.

"I've been putting badly all year and I three-putted the first green. I just said. "To hell with it," and decided to try to hit all the greens and just hope to hit one or two putts." Stoviak explained.

While Stoviak's strategy was working-he hit three putts-the rest of the Crimson was playing steady golf in the cold rain. Skip Barry and Andy Marks both had 80's. Skip Kistner had an 81 and Greater Boston champ Bill Salatich contributed an 82.

"We went down there expecting to lose to Dartmouth and I guess they were expecting to beat us." Stoviak said. "I went over to their locker room after the match and they were all sulking. Was their coach ever pissed."

Dartmouth's losing cause was led by captain Marsh Gavre (76) and Clair Grant (78).

Holy Cross, 8-3 before yesterday's match, just couldn't quite catch the Crimson after their low scorer. Peter Koch, came in with a 77 to Stoviak's 74.

The two other Crimson scores-the ones which didn't count in the five-man total-were registered by the returning Cooch Owen (83) and captain Fred Sherman (91).

The Crimson golfers now have a 5-3 record going into their two most important matches of the year-the Big Three match at Princeton tomorrow and the Easterns next weekend.