DATE: Wednesday, October 8, 1997            TAG: 9710080658

SECTION: SPORTS                  PAGE: C6   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY LEE TOLLIVER, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH                    LENGTH:   54 lines

BIRDIES AT THE TURN CARRY SALEM'S MILLER EIGHTH AND NINTH HOLES AT RED WING PROVIDE THE SPARK FOR BEACH DISTRICT CHAMPION.

Kevin Miller was looking for something to take the edge off after starting the second round of the Beach District golf tournament Tuesday at Red Wing with bogeys on the first and seventh holes.

A pair of birdies on 8 and 9 did the trick.

Miller went onto birdie three holes on the back nine, while hitting par on the other six to capture the tournament title pulling away. The Salem senior who was second in last year's Group AAA tournament edged Kellam's Adam Nielson, 137-140. The two were tied as they made the turn.

Miller shot a two-under-par 68 in Monday's opening round at Bow Creek, and was three under on Red Wing's par 72.

His putter was the difference.

``He just started making putts,'' Nielson said. ``And I was lipping them or going just by the edge.

``He played great golf. I didn't make any bogeys all day, he just beat me.''

Miller will be out to defend his Eastern Region title beginning next Tuesday at Bow Creek. Wednesday's second round will be at Lake Wright.

``I was feeling pretty good after getting birdies on the last two of the front nine,'' Miller said. ``It was one of those days and I hope it can carry over.''

While the individual competition was fairly tight - eight strokes between first and fourth - the team portion was anything but.

Cox won its ninth-straight tournament championship with a 594-609 victory over runner-up Kellam.

Miller's team slipped into third place with a 625, five strokes ahead of fourth place First Colonial.

The top three teams, as well as seven individuals not on those teams, advance to region play - where Cox will try to defend its string of six-consecutive championships.

``We're tickled to win the tournament,'' Cox coach Stuart Holland said. ``We had won the regular season three years in a row and shot our highest score of the season against an unbeaten team (Kellam), which shot its best round of the season.

``So we were shooting to get to region and the kids really played well for two days.''

Ryan Roebuck and Ryan Garland led the Falcons charge, finishing in a tie for third place with 3-over par 145s. Garland won a one-hole playoff.

Princess Anne sophomore John Bond won a playoff for sixth place after tying Cox's Tripp Bartholomew with a 153. ILLUSTRATION: L. TODD SPENCER

Salem's Kevin Miller blasts from a greenside bunker on the 11th hole

at Red Wing Golf Club en route to his Beach District title Tuesday.

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