Sporting three returning lettermen and a group of promising newcomers, the Crimson golf team will kick off its final season under coach Cooney Weiland with an Easter tour to South Carolina.

Said captain Fred Sherman of the upcoming season, "Anything can happen. We have a chance for a great year. I'm very optimistic."

Although the graduation of record-breaking Yank Heister and three other lettermen will hurt, there are three golfers back from last year's 11-3 squad-Sherman. Cooch Owen, and Skip Kistner. "Three returning players is a good start for a solid seven-man team. And we've got a great bunch of sophomores," said Sherman.

Sherman, a senior from Wilmington. Delaware, compiled a 12-2 won-lost record last year, the best on the team. Owen, a senior from Dedham, played at the number two. three and four positions at different times last season in racking up a 5-7 personal record.

Kistner, meanwhile, had a very fine sophomore season, compiling an 8-6 personal slate. The junior from Needham could be ranked as high as second on this year's squad.

But the team's success will hinge on how well a group of new faces comes along in the early part of the schedule. Most likely candidates to fill the remaining four positions on the seven-man team are juniors Skip Barry and Terry Wynne, along with sophomores John Scoviak and Bill Salatich.

Both Barry and Wynne played as freshmen, but not last year. Scoviak was the number one man on the 1970 freshman team, while Salatich played in the number six slot.

Another of last fall's most promising sophomore prospects. Harry Hurt, who played at the number two spot for the 1970 Yardlings, took this semester off and won't be around to help the Crimson this spring.

An important rule change in the Eastern Intercollegiate Conference will make unnecessary the establishing of a strict ladder of the players this year.

In the past League competition in duals and triangulars was scored using match play-the number one men playing each other, the number two men pairing up on down the line of the seven players.

This season's matches will be scored on a medal play basis, with the top five raw scores of the seven team members being added up to arrive at the team score.

"With this system of scoring, the number of a player on the ladder won't really make any difference. Each guy can just go out and play for himself," said Sherman.

Southern Trip

On March 31. the golfers and coach Weiland, who has recorded a 125-65 mark in 14 years of coaching golf at Harvard, will head for the warmer climate of South Carolina to participate in some pre-season, unofficial tournaments. Their first competition will be at the University of South Carolina at Chester.

The first official match of the season will be held at Navy on April 10. This year's schedule includes four duals, four triangulars, the Greater Bostons, and the Eastern Intercollegiates.

Harvard is looking for a high Ivy League finish and hopes to improve on its sixth-place performance in last year's Easterns. Dartmouth appears to be the team to beat. Sherman said of the Ivy League competition, "Dartmouth won the Easterns last year and will be the strongest team once again. And, of course. Yale and Princeton are always tough."