Five lettermen were on hand to great Coach Clark Hedder's call for golfers this spring, but the outlook was not as encouraging as this surplus of veterans might indicate. Gone were Ace Cordingley and Bobbie Grayes, the backbone of the team for the last three years and two of the finest golfers ever to swing a mashie for Harvard. Graves was undefeated in three years of Varsity match play competition and spread-cagled the field in the New England Intercollegiate his Junior year, winning the coveted modal play crown by eight strokes. Cordingley did not thirve on the hand-to-hand competition of match play as well as did Graves and had a spotty early season record. He was called upon, however, to meet much stiffer opposition in his number one spot and won a definite place as one of the finest college golfers in the land. He was the chief Crimson standard bearer in the three intercollegiate in which he played, once going all the way to the semifinals.

Five Letter Men

Coach Hodder has no more players of that callbre in eight and must hope for a well balanced team manned by his five lettermen Captain Watty Dickerman Don Peddle, Gerry Davis, Don Eibel, and Pete MacGowan. Hodder was looking to his Sophomores for some additional help, but there were disappointments in store for him. Tony Sargent and Ned Tuckerman were the best Yardling performers of a year ago. Sargent is on probation, and Tuckerman was not able to report until a couple of days ago. Another good Sophomore Charley Mulcahy. He is still ineligible this spring, but this less has been compensated for by the rise of Bill Allis, another second year man who did not play as a Freshman.

Captain Dickerman and Don Elbel are Harvard's two-year veterans, and at present they are playing together in the second foursome. Both are rather short off the tee but make up for this with strong chipping and putting games. Bridegroom Dickerman has been having trouble whipping his iron game into shape, but with a bit more practice he will be a strong man in the three or four position. Eible is the bear for work on the squad, spending long hours on the practice tee, and recently his diligence has begun to pay large dividends. His game has become very steady and much improved over his Sophomore and Junior years.

Senior Don Peddle and Junior Pete MacGowan are playing together for their second year, this time at numbers one and two. This is no Cordingley-Graves due, but it will win its share of point against good competition. Paddle and MacGowan, especially the latter, have better long games than the rest of their mates, and this enables them to have an occasional low round perhaps beyond the reach of the others. MasGorwn has the best swing on the squad and le potentially a fine golfer.

Davis and Allis

The five and six men, Gerry Davis and "Uncle" Bill Allis, may turn out to be the breadwinners, on the current team. They will give Harvard strong representation in the bottom two slots and win most of their points. Davis is probably the best man on the team when the chips are down, and his remarkable recovery shots have pulled him out of many a tough spot. Allis has a well rounded game and packs a real wallop for his size. He should continue to improve as the season progresses.

This lineup has been used in the first two matches, an 8 1/2 to 6 1/2 loss to Framingham and an 8 1/2 to 1/2 win over Rhode Island State. Some changes may be made however because Coach Hodder might want to find room for Sophomore Nied Tuckerman, in addition, player manager Ted Allis (Bill Allis' nephew) and Bob Paine are not out of the running; either might conceivably, break into the first six. Sophomores Pete Dunham, Ray Holtan, and George Walsbord-Soloivieff all seem a year away.

Weaker Opposition

The 1941 golf team is a well balanced outfit, a bit more so than last year's star-studded aggregation. If the top men can break even, Harvard should have the strength down the line to win most of its matches. The league is weaker than it was a year ago for there are no more Meisters, Bingham's or Schriebers to contend with, but Yale is always a tough nut to crack, and Dartmouth and Holy Cross will be improved. The Crimson can come in anywhere from first to fourth, depending on how the four-footers drop when the chips are down.