DATE: Wednesday, October 15, 1997           TAG: 9710150694

SECTION: SPORTS                  PAGE: C7   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY JAY LIDINGTON, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH                    LENGTH:   41 lines

MILLER'S 69 ONLY SUB-PAR ROUND AT EAST REGION

Fighter jets from Oceana Naval Air Station were about the only things making noise Tuesday at the Eastern Region golf tournament at Bow Creek Golf Course.

Only three of the 96 players shot par-70 or better and only one player, Salem's Kevin Miller, was below par with a 69.

Ryan Garland of Cox and Lakeland's Ryan Lambert both shot par-70.

``In the first round, you don't want to play yourself out of the regional,'' said Miller, the defending region champ. ``You can always play better, but I'm definitely pleased.''

Miller bogeyed three holes and birdied four on the way to his low round.

``It's a tight course,'' Lambert said of Bow Creek. ``I hit a lot of good recovery shots from wild tee shots.''

Three players - Chris Taylor of Indian River, Kyle Narron of Warwick and Jacob Brunjes of Gloucester - were within three strokes of the lead.

The top two teams and top six individuals not on those squads advance to the state golf tournament Monday and Tuesday at Winton Country Club in Amherst, near Lynchburg.

Led by Garland and Miller, six-time region champ Cox was the only sub-300 team with a 298 stroke total for the first round. Indian River was second (306), followed by Kellam (309) and Great Bridge and Salem, both at 311.

Players agreed that Lake Wright, the site of today's second and final round, is a course that should surrender low scores if conditions are favorable.

``Lake Wright can be sort of difficult,'' Garland said. ``You get the greens wet and the wind picks up off the lake. You can really blow up on the back (nine) if you're not careful.''

The par-70 course could be soggy and greens friendly as forecasts call for a chance of showers today. Organizers said the tournament could be halted after one round in the event of a rainout.

Cox coach Stuart Holland hoped for and got an 8-10-stroke lead after Tuesday's round at Bow Creek, a course where his team has played the largest part of its rounds this year.

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