Since the very first The Citizen Masters Tournament, George Mills has been a fairly regular fixture in the contest.

The 73-year-old Port Byron resident made his Masters debut in 1963.

“I bowled 548,” Mills said. “I lost my first two matches, but I qualified. I just thought it would be fun.”

Since then Mills has tried his hand at making the cut almost every year, and he has found himself in the thick of competition at least 10 times.

On Saturday, Mills qualified at Rainbow Lanes with a 651.

“It is tradition at this point,” Mills said. “I like to bowl and I have a lot of fun with it, so I keep trying to get in the Masters.”

Mills got his start at Cayuga Lanes back in 1959, almost on a whim.

“I just thought it would be fun to bowl,” Mills said. “I bowled a few games for fun and I have been bowling ever since.”

And along with his wife, Sharon Mills, bowling has become something of a family institution.

“My wife comes from a bowling family,” Mills said. “We've been doing this for at least 35 years now and our kids bowl and their spouses, it is a family thing. We have a lot of fun. We're a bowling family. We are going to be doing this as long as we can; we're in it to stay.”

Not bad considering that 12 years ago, Mills thought his career might be over when his knees started to get bad.

“I had them both replaced,” Mills said. “I took a year off. I've slowed my approach a little and I had to go through physical therapy, but I'm still here and still bowling.”

Over the years, Mills has racked up his share of accomplishments, with a 300 game, and a 298 and 297 in the last two years.

But he points to one of his proudest accomplishments during the 1967 Masters.

Competing out of the losers' bracket, Mills fought his way back to a third-place finish.

“I lost in the first round,” Mills said. “I made my way through the losers' bracket and lost in the semifinals, I lost by three pins and finished third. That is probably the best I ever did.”

Still bowling two nights a week at Rainbow Lanes, Mills stays pretty active in the game.

This year he has all the more incentive to keep competing.

Sunday night, his son, Jameson, qualified for his first Masters with a 681.

“That feels really good,” Mills said. “I'm really happy for him.”

While Mills said that these days he might not be much competition for the younger generation, he still plans to give it his best go.

“I can't really bowl with these young hot shots now,” Mills said.

“But I want to get through a few rounds. I don't think I'll win, but that is the thing about the Masters, you never know. But it will still be fun.”