Kent State golf coach Herb Page continued his “reap what you sow” policy when it comes to hiring assistant coaches, as Jon Mills was officially named as the associate men’s and women’s golf coach on Thursday.
Mills, a 2002 graduate and KSU’s only first-team All-American, becomes the third former KSU player to join Page’s staff in the last 15 years. He follows Rob Wakeling, who resigned recently to enter private business after seven years, and Donny Darr, who resigned in 2004 after four years to become an assistant coach at Oklahoma.
Mills, 37, turned professional in 2002 and was on the Web.com Tour from 2002-2015 and the PGA Tour from 2006-08 [see PGA Tour profile here]. His best years came in 2005 and 2007, when he won twice, placed second three times and had 18 top-10 finishes on the Web.com Tour while earning a combined $692,050. He won the 2005 Canadian PGA Championship and the 2007 Boise Open. He has played in three U.S. Opens.
It could be argued that Mills is the most accomplished player in KSU history behind Ben Curtis. He was a two-time All-American, was a member of four consecutive Mid-American Conference championship teams and earned all-MAC honors each year. He currently ranks second all-time in single-season scoring average (71.68), third all-time in career average (72.63) and third in career top-10 finishes (26). He was the medalist in the 2000 NCAA Central Region championship and was sixth in the NCAA nationals in 2001.
“It’s truly a privilege to be able to come back to my alma mater and help coach the sport I love,” Mills said in a prepared release. “I am looking forward to working with the team and making them the best student-athletes they can be.”
Mills is a native of Oshawa, Ontario.
“We are honored to have a person of Jon Mills’ character and integrity come back after experiencing success at the highest level while playing on the PGA Tour,” Page said in the same prepared statement. “We are very fortunate to have him here to pass on his knowledge and expertise in the game of golf to current and future student-athletes.”
