Article

GOLF

JUNE 1970 JACK DEGANGE
Article
GOLF
JUNE 1970 JACK DEGANGE

While things have been swinging for baseball, it's the same story for Dartmouth's golfers. When the season began, Coach Bill Johnson predicted the Indians would (1) be undefeated - with four so-so foes remaining, they are 8-0; (2) the Eastern Intercollegiate and Ivy League champions - they stormed past the favorite, Penn State, and the defending champ, Princeton, to win both during the 54-hole tournament at Yale's rambling layout, and (3) a berth in the NCAA Tournament at Columbus, Ohio, on June 22-27 - the EIGA title guaranteed Dartmouth's five-man team a spot at Columbus and now Johnson is shooting for a performance that will put the Indians through the 36-hole cutoff at the NCAAs.

There's nothing like success to keep a coach smiling and Johnson was all smiles as he shouldered the EIGA championship plaque through Alumni Gym when the Indians returned from New Haven. His team had gone to New Haven with Marsh Gavre and Ken Kotowski rated the top two Dartmouth entries. When they returned, the story of the tournament was Captain Sandy McWilliams, the robust senior from Essex Fells, N. J.

McWilliams, rated the Green's No. 3 performer, was superb, especially over the final 18 holes when he shot the tournament's best round - a three-under-par 68 - and charged past Yale's Chase Sanderson and defending champ Bud Zachary of Princeton to win the individual title.

"Sandy has gone up against Zachary several times in New Jersey state amateur tournaments, but he's never won," said Johnson. "When it was over, it was the greatest moment of his life."

When a golfer is on a streak, anything can happen. As it turned out, two days after he won the EIGA crown, McWilliams used the same ball that he used in the final-round 68 to notch a hole-in-one on the Hanover Country Club's 171-yard 12th hole. The ace came moments after he had planted a blind approach Hanover's dogleg 11th over trees to within four feet of the pin.

Meanwhile, back with the other good guys, things haven't been going for naught. While McWilliams was taking a 3 and 2 decision from Jack Purdy in the lead match of a 4-3 win over Harvard, the first dual test 'after the Easterns, Kotowski and Gavre were joined by Dave Hill in winning the top matches in convincing fashion.

This quartet, while earning All-Ivy League honors for their play at the Easterns, will be joined by senior Mark Hallenbeck in the NCAA tourney. In dual competition, these five golfers have a combined record of 30-7, showing why Johnson has reason to justify his pre-season optimism.

Kotowski, the senior from Melrose, Mass., had a taste of revenge during a triangular win over Brown (4-3) and Holy Cross (6-1). He was pitted against Bob Elliott, the Holy Cross captain and defending New Hampshire amateur champ who had held the upper hand in the Miami Invitation Tournament in March. Kotowski crushed Elliott, 6 and 5, in their match at Providence.

If the Indians continue to an undefeated season, it will be the first in Dartmouth history and surpasses last year's 12-1 mark. The EIGA title was the first for the Green since Tommy Keane's crew won it in 1941.

Steve Tourek, heavyweight crew captain, and Coach Pete Gardner with theKowaliga Kup won during Alabamatraining period. The heavies were undefeated in cup races this spring andfinished fourth in the Eastern Sprints.