Golfers Fall to Holy Cross, Prepare for Ivy League Foes

The Harvard men's golf team continued its woeful ways yesterday, posting a team total 415 just enough to edge Williams 418 but not quite enough to topple Holy Cross's 410. The split at the Crimson's home course at The Country Club in Brookline adjusted the squad's record to 3-7.

Green Woes

"Everybody is hitting the ball pretty well," Captain Jon Mosle said, "but we're having trouble on the greens." Playing in somewhat cold and soggy conditions but backed by a favorable wind, freshman Rick Nichols and Holy Cross's number one player. Rick Shea, turned in the afternoon's best performances both notching 77s.

Harvard's next best score came from senior Captain Steve Baker, who posted an 81 for the day. Baker's outing was different from the rest of the Crimson golfers' as his effective putting offset his less successful hitting off the tees.

"I was fairly pleased to beat Williams," said Carol Lowestein '82, last year's captain, who filled in for Coach Dick Crosby yesterday. As baker explained, "We probably wouldn't be favored to beat Williams, but their course has been closed because of snow, and this was their first outing in three weeks."

The loss to Holy Cross wasn't particularly disheartening since the Crusaders garnered the NCAA's New England Division Championship last year and have a strong senior heavy squad this year. The Crimson lost its number one player in Lowenstein to graduation, and three yardlings have joined the squad this season.

The next scheduled event for the golfers is this weekend's Ivy League Championship at Dartmouth, where the squad hopes to bounce back from its recent setbacks. The Crimson dropped meets to Ivy leaders Princeton and Yale earlier this year, and the tourney should provide an opportunity for the golfers to better last year's third-place finish.

Individuals have played well at times for the Crimson, but, as Mosle said, "we just can't seem to get it together as a team. "Still, Baker said the squad has yet to peak, and he believes the Crimson can provide a formidable challenge to Yale this weekend.