Junior golfer Brett Hogan’s life as an international athlete is faced with similar challenges that are not foreign to most college students who leave home. The biggest adjustment moving to Texas for this Canadian player was living without his parents for the first time.

“You live with them so long,” Hogan said. “It’s kind of weird coming down here and being by yourself. I have to do school, golf, laundry, cooking… you don’t realize how much you miss (home) until it’s gone.”

Adjusting to the San Antonio weather, however, proved to be no problem at all. Hogan definitely considered the weather when choosing a university to attend, especially coming from the notoriously cold Canada.

“I really wanted a school that was south so I could have really nice weather,” Hogan said. “Coming from Canada, you only get four or five months of nice weather.”

Hogan feels that the weather is one of the best aspects about coming to UTSA, but he also finds the city of San Antonio welcoming as well.

“It’s a great city,” Hogan said. “It’s nice downtown, it’s clean, and it feels a lot like home to me.”

Being an international student also affected Hogan’s recruitment process. Coaches in America rarely noticed most of the Canadian tournaments he played in. In order to garner American attention, he had to complete the extra step of going through a recruitment agency.

Now with his recruitment days behind him, Hogan currently serves as the Roadrunners’ team captain with some of the lowest stroke averages for a few seasons in a row. Even the foreign terrain of south Texas can’t mess with his game.

“The grass is a lot different down here than where I come from,” said Hogan. “I had to work on my short game quite a bit. It is a lot windier here too.”

Besides his impressive skills on the course, Hogan serves as a positive reinforcement to his team members, especially with all the upcoming tournaments.

“This is probably the best team we have had in a long time,” Hogan said of his team members. “I feel like if we all play our best we have a chance to win a lot of these tournaments, we never really went into other tournaments (thinking) like that.”

When questioned about the Brigg’s Invitational the men’s golf team will be participating in on March 23 and 24, Hogan has high hopes for himself and the team.

“I love this golf course; we play here all the time,” Hogan said. “It’s a really comfortable feeling.”

Hogan continued his good vibes expressing his feelings on the conference championship coming up.

“I feel like going into the conference championship, we have a good chance to improve our ranking and even win the conference and go even further than the conference.”

Hogan’s international background has undoubtedly shaped his positive leadership style and inspiring golf game. Hogan remains hopeful for the future of the men’s golf team, and continues to enjoy UTSA and San Antonio.