Photo Credit: Jeff Huehn/UTSA Athletics

Ryan Werre heads into his senior season with UTSA golf as a leader who has been far from home for some time now. Originally from Redcliff, Canada, Werre has fallen in love with the hot Texas sun and year-round golf facilities.

“I found the summers to be super-hot, but I love it,” Werre said. “I can’t imagine a better place to play golf year round, really.”

Werre made his move from chilly Canada to steamy Texas three years ago as a freshman. Dealing with harsh and long Canadian winters, Werre had to work twice as hard as any student-athlete in order to land a spot on a Division I team in America.

“There are no real golf schools in Canada. There are little golf programs and universities,” Werre said. “In my mind, to be a professional golfer you have to get somewhere where you can play all year round. I don’t think it’s very reliable to just kind of live five months out of the year and play golf and then expect to compete.”

So just how did this Canadian golf-sensation find his way to UTSA? It was thanks to Louis Chon, a fellow Canadian and UTSA golf player who helped make it happen.

“Basically, me and Louis (Chon) had the same swing coach back when I was a junior in high school. I told my swing coach, ‘I’m looking at playing golf down in the states and I want to go to a university,’ and he just let the director of golf know about me. When I contacted Coach (John Knauer), he had already heard about me and had been watching me. So I came down for a visit and that’s how it started.”

Now, four years later, Werre has his sights set on a successful senior season as a Roadrunner.

“Every year we have been here, we’ve gotten a lot better. I’m really looking forward to this year,” Werre said. “I wish I had a couple more years to spend with the guys.”

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