Lily Huynh/The Cougar
When senior golfer Kevin An tees up for the Cougars this fall, it is not just an average season for the veteran.
This year is the transfer’s final shot in college to prove he has what it takes to be among the greats in professional golf.
“College golf is not my ultimate goal,” An said. “I want to play professional golf, and I have the coaches here to get me there.”
Kevin An’s journey to Houston
The California native’s journey to Houston was anything but predictable.
An grew up in Riverside, Calif., and played two sports: soccer and golf.
His parents encouraged him to stick with golf when he was 10 or 11 because it was a safer sport, and he kept getting injured in his soccer games.
An burst onto the scene as a freshman in high school and earned league MVP honors.
It wasn’t long until he was among the best of his peers at golf, and he set Martin Luther King High School’s record for the lowest scoring average, a record he still holds to this day.
“At the time, I didn’t think much of it,” An said. “Now that I am in college, it is pretty cool to look back and have my name placed down like that.”
After his senior year of high school, he decided to stay close to home and attend the University of San Diego for his freshman season.
An was motivated by the school’s location, and their head coach, Chris Riley, a two-time PGA Tour winner and Ryder Cup partner of Tiger Woods.
Although he improved his game during his first year, the coaching fell short of his standards.
“Just because a coach is good at playing golf doesn’t mean that he is the best at coaching it,” An said. “I didn’t think it was the best fit for me.”
While San Diego gave him a taste of college golf, it was Oral Roberts University that gave him a stage to shine.
That realization led him to transfer to ORU, where he flourished.
An quickly became the Golden Eagles’ top player and helped elevate a program that hadn’t won a conference championship in over 15 years.
He played for the Golden Eagles for two seasons and won an individual title in his junior season.
An won the 2025 Summit League Individual Championship and was named the MVP for the event.
Even with all his success, something still wasn’t fulfilling for him.
“Even if I didn’t perform my best in practice, I still made the tournament team no matter what,” An said. “You don’t get better in an environment like that.”
For his final season with college eligibility, An decided to risk his starting spot and transfer to the University of Houston.
“Comfort doesn’t help me reach my ultimate goal,” An said.
The Oral Roberts transfer has his sights set on life after college, and he thinks the coaches at Houston give him the best shot at reaching his goals.
An joins Houston
“I’ve never been helped out this much in three years,” An said. “I got more help in the last two weeks than in my entire three years of college.”
The Cougars’ golf program is led by their director, Jonathan Dismuke, who has been with the program since 2009.
Assistant coach Cameron Peck also manages Houston’s team and joined the program in 2023.
The senior golfer is surrounded by experienced coaches and several teammates he can learn from throughout this season.
He also joins a team with several returners that placed No. 4 at the Big 12 Conference Men’s Golf Championship last season.
“I think everyone in our program is outstanding,” An said. “Houston is a Big 12 program and has a good track record, so anyone the coaches bring in has to be good.”
He set himself well at Houston with a perfect schedule for someone pursuing professional golf.
An used to be a business major, but decided to switch to integrated studies, and his focus is solely on professional golf.
“I don’t think there’s a career that’s as fun and as rewarding as golf,” An said.
Now living in Humble, Texas, just minutes from the Cougars’ practice facility at the Golf Club of Houston, An is focused on maximizing every resource the program offers.
He trains daily, balances his asynchronous coursework and has his eyes set on what comes next: Q-School, a series of qualifying golf tournaments that players must complete to earn status on major professional tours, such as the PGA Tour and the LPGA Tour.
This November, An will attempt to earn status on the PGA Tour or Korn Ferry Tour through the grueling qualifying process.
“Hopefully I can play well, get some sponsors and work my way up from there,” An said.
With only about 25 players earning a pro-card out of thousands who compete, the odds are steep, but An isn’t fazed.
The 21-year-old golfer isn’t letting statistics keep him from chasing his professional golf dreams.
“There’s no career as fun or as rewarding as golf,” An said with a smile. “You’re getting paid to play, and it’s fun competing. That’s the dream.”
For An, Houston is more than just another stop on his journey. It’s the final step before taking his shot at the professional stage and fulfilling his dreams of becoming a professional golfer.
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