Watch Out For Surprising Golfers

You may be surprised. Maybe.

Expecting the 1989 Harvard golf team to capture the Ivy League Championships could lead to a disappointment.

Asking a team that has bid adieu to four of its five starting players, including All-Ivy stars John Pickett and Tom Aucamp, to win is probably asking too much. Probably.

The title trophy has not decorated the Harvard display case since 1975. But this team is young--even Coach Jock Hopkins is in his second season.

You may be suprised.

Surprise, Surprise

If nothing else surprises you, the faces will. Captain Terry Murray is the lone returner. Seniors Murry Gunty and Dan Mahoney, along with sophomore Mike Foster, should see action in the top five. Olympic skater Lane MacDonald may be the fifth man, but several other candidates may fill the opening in the lineup.

Juniors Tod Hartje and Dan Murphy, sophomore Ross Cockerall and freshmen Bill Boone, Dave Miller and Dennis Crowley combine to form a pool of golf talent with a common interest--P.T., as in playing time.

"Last year we had a talented team, but our performances were often disappointing," Murray said. "This year's team, although we are rebuilding, has potential to do well."

Leave it to the performer who is free from pressure to create surprises. Harvard will not be the odds-on favorite to garner the Ivy title, but improving on last year's fifth-place finish is a reasonable goal.

Although fifth, Harvard was a mere five strokes behind second-place Princeton. Yale outdistanced the competition last season by 16 swings to capture its third Ivy title in the past five years.

Princeton returns four seniors and should give Ivy competitors all they can handle. But Harvard matches up well enough against the other Ivy teams to give the Crimson a chance to better last year's performance.

Catalytic Converter

Perhaps Harvard's new makeup, catalyzed by the experience of Murray, will give the team a winning character. And when the first match on April 3 arrives, Harvard will be ready.

But not before preparation over spring break is completed--including long hours spent meditating on Palm Beach sands and fine tuning golf swings on some of the world's most challenging courses. Coach:  Jock Hopkins Captain:  Terry Murray Last Year:  (0-4, 0-2) Home Meets:  The Country Club The Schedule

April Mon, 3  at Boston College/Northeastern/Providence  TBA Thu, 6  at Princeton/Yale  1:00 p.m. Tue, 11  at Tufts/Amherst  1:00 p.m. Sat, 15-  at Ivy League Tourney  -- Sun, 16  at Ivy League Tourney Fri, 21-  at Princeton Tournament  -- Sat, 22  (at Princeton, N.J.)  -- Mon, 24  at GBCs  TBA Wed, 26  at Brown/Dartmouth  1:00 p.m. Thu, 27-  New England Div. I  -- Fri, 28  Championships  --