GOLF

As the golf season began, Bill Johnson resorted to the coach's standard phrase - "guarded optimism."

"We have exceptional raw talent," he said, "but it's untested. We'll just have to wait and see how good they'll be."

It wasn't a very long wait. Entering the final week of the season, the dual-match record is a spectacular 9-1 plus a very respectable sixth place finish in the Eastern Intercollegiate Tournament.

The sophomore-dominated team began to make a habit of playing one-point matches but the test of this squad's ability lies in the fact that they managed to win the close ones.

The only loss has been to Villanova and the victories include a fine 4-3 decision over perennially powerful Harvard. That was the fifth 4-3 win for the Indians who scored similar decisions over Army, Amherst, Massachusetts, and Holy Cross.

"The key has been in our depth," said Johnson, now in his third season as successor to Tommy Keane. "If the top of the lineup has been in trouble, the lower men have come through and vice versa."

The hottest man at the moment is sophomore Marshall Gavre from Waukesha, Wis., who has surged to the fore as one of the East's finest collegiate golfers. Gavre began to find himself during the Easterns as he led Dartmouth with a two-round score of 75-80-155 that put him into the match play competition. From that point, he defeated Penn State and Army representatives before bowing to the . eventual champion, Princeton's Gene Zachary, one-up on the 18th hole of their semifinal match. His performance at the Easterns has qualified Gavre for competition in the NCAA Tournament this month in Colorado.

Another sophomore to put his game together has been Mike Furey, a football fullback who sparked the 7-0 victory at Middlebury with a sizzling score of 65. Then, too, sophomore Dave Hill, the hockey star who has what Johnson describes as "a nearly perfect golf swing," has begun to unleash a tremendous game with the woods but is having some problems with his short game.

Dr. Joseph Pollard '23 (c) with his wife Alice and "Red" Rolfe '31 at the luncheonhonoring him on his retirement as team physician. He was presented the first RobertA. Rolfe Award for his contributions to Dartmouth athletics.