Doing gymnastics and playing basketball was good, but not as calming as playing golf.

Macey Mills was born in Kansas, but has lived majority of her life in Bakersfield. Her love for golf did not start at a young age as she was doing other sports.

“I started playing golf when I was 14, my freshmen year of high school,” Mills said.  “Prior to playing golf I was a gymnast and a basketball player and I am a really calm person, so my dad took me out to play golf when I was in sixth grade, but it wasn’t an interest and when I got older it became more fun and interesting.”

It was in high school when she knew she wanted to pursue a career in golf.

“It’s really calming and it’s the sport closest to life. You get some bad breaks because of things that are out of your control, but it teaches you so much about yourself and it’s a very interesting game,” Mills said.

Her break through moment in golf happened when she was 18.

“It was my senior year of high school, it was my first league match and I had a horrible warm up, but I ended up on the first hole eaglely, which is shooting two under in one hole. So I eagled the first hole and then I ended up shooting 69 for the day, which is my low to this day,” Mills said.

During her sophomore year, Macey competed in all 29 rounds and 11 events. With participating in all events and rounds she tied for most all time in a single season. She was the third on the team with an average score of 78.76 and was the fifth-best in CSUB’s single-season history. Macey also reset career-best 18-hole score at Battle at the Rock.

Besides going to school, practicing, and going to tournaments, she also volunteers.

“We put on a golf clinic that is free for young girl golfers just to get people more into the sport just because it is not popular amongst the youth,” Mills said.

Mills is not just a golf player, she is the team captain.

“Team captain means leading from example. I don’t like telling anybody to do anything I prefer to do my best and hope that they follow. It really means a lot because to be seen as a leader from your peers and your coach is a big deal,” Mills said.

Meghan Thomason is the head coach of the golf team at CSUB and chose Mills as the team captain because of her qualities.

“It was a pretty obvious choice for me, she showed me the most leadership skills and she also showed that she’s extremely dependable in pressured situations, especially in competitions. So I felt like giving her the opportunity to be a leader on the team would only improve those qualities,” Thomason said.

Jenni Chun is one of Mills teammate and just recently became good friends.

“She’s really caring, funny, and she’s very passionate about what she does. She’s always there for me, she’s just a good friend overall,” Chun said. “She’s our team captain, so she’s the leader and she tries to be a good example for all the other teammates.”

After graduating from CSUB, Mills wants to play professional golf.

“I actually do want to go pro. I want to work in a local country club or at a country club in San Diego or Los Angeles and pursue a professional career staring with the Cactus Tour or the lPGA tour,” Mills said.

Mills is the definition of a good team captain because not only does she bring out the best in herself, but also brings out the best in her teammates.