BY HUNTER CHASE: SPORTS EDITOR

It took extra holes, but Kelly Miller has claimed another day of competition in the 106th North and South Amateur Championship, being held at Pinehurst Resort this week.

The Southern Pines resident defeated Drew Stoltz of Fort Collins, Col., in 19 holes Wednesday in the first round of match play being contested on Pinehurst Course No. 2.

Miller, the president and CEO of Pine Needles and Mid Pines, birdied the first extra hole, carding a 3 on the par 4, while Stoltz made par.

Miller had taken a 1-up lead after he birdied the par-3 17th hole, but he bogeyed the 18th, allowing Stoltz to even the match after 18.

Miller is scheduled to take on Ryan Abbate of Weston, Fla., at 7:46 a.m. Thursday. The 16 second-round matches will take place in the morning, with the third-round matches slated for Thursday afternoon.

Another local product, Robert Riesen of Pinehurst, played one of the longest matches of the day before losing to John Kelly of St. Louis, Mo., in 21 holes.

After ending 18 holes all square, both Riesen and Kelly parred the first two extra holes before Kelly birdied the 21st hole, while Riesen posted a par. A Pinecrest High School graduate, Riesen was an All-ACC selection this spring as a freshman playing for the University of North Carolina.

Two of the day's other intriguing matches involved Paul Simson, a two-time winner of the North and South (1995 and 1996), and Webb Simpson of Raleigh, the top-ranked men's amateur, respectively. Simson, 55, needed 19 holes to defeat Jordan Payne of West Memphis, Tenn.

An All-American selection for Wake Forest this past spring, Simpson defeated Benjamin Choe of Scottsdale, Ariz., 4 and 2.

Simson and Simpson will square off Thursday at 8:42 a.m.

Defending champion Sean Moore, another Wake Forest golfer, made quick work of Patton Kizzire of Tuscaloosa, Ala., knocking out the 64th qualifier by a 4 and 3 score.

Phillip Mollica of Anderson, S.C., the medalist after the first two days of qualifying, defeated Andrew Ross of Ontario, Canada, 1-up. Mollica, a player at Clemson University, faces Brian Carroll in Thursday's second round.

The first match Thursday starts at 7:30 a.m.