Most high-level college golfers do not combat many obstacles on their way to collegiate success. For San Diego State men’s golf senior co-captain Tyler Kowack, his venture features more hurdles than most.

Growing up in Connecticut in an athletic family, sports were always going to be a part of Kowack’s future. He described his childhood self as “very invested into sports.” In fact, a great deal of his pre-college days were spent on the soccer pitch; Kowack considered soccer his “main sport” until the end of high school.

When Kowack was around 16 years old, he realized the major time commitment that golf required, forcing him to devote more of his mental and physical energy to the links. As a result, he began to fall out of love with soccer.

As Kowack began to dive deeper into the ebbs and flows of golf, he found that it was the sport best suited for him. He considers his dad “a huge influence” on his golfing journey.

“I talk to him about my lessons, how they are going, [and] he helps with a lot of the travel,” Kowack explained. “[My dad] is probably my biggest supporter when it comes to [golf]; I owe almost [everything] to my dad.”

Around 2008, Kowack and his family moved from Connecticut to San Diego, forcing him to acclimate to a new environment. However, he got straight to business, competing in tournaments around the San Diego area at the young age of 7.

Kowack’s youth golf career in San Diego started hot, qualifying for arguably the biggest tournament in San Diego youth golf, the Junior World Golf Championship at Oaks North Golf Course. Since then, his summer tournament schedule has only increased as the years have gone on.

“At that time, I was still playing soccer,” Kowack stated. “I played the occasional [golf] tournament, and [my schedule] kind of grew more and more each summer. I would go from playing two or three tournaments to four or five tournaments. Now, I am playing upwards of 15 or more tournaments, definitely more if you include the qualifiers and stuff.”

An increased quantity — and, in turn, quality — of golf tournaments that Kowack has decorated his calendar with has enabled him to travel the world, one of the things he likes most about golf. 

While high-level golf may provide enjoyable tournament destinations, the grind required to reach the highest level is not for everyone. However, Kowack is no stranger to this grind.

While in high school at Canyon Crest Academy, both Kowack and his teammate Jaden Hunter, who is now a senior on the Fresno State men’s golf team, would constantly push each other to reach new heights. 

“He wanted to beat me bad, and I wanted to beat him bad,” Kowack explained. “I feel like that was actually really good for both of us because it allowed us to improve and hold each other accountable [and keep] me motivated.”

Kowack’s motivation and thirst for competitive excellence were challenged after his senior year of high school golf. A lack of attention from universities, specifically from his dream school, the University of North Carolina, created a sense of insecurity regarding Kowack’s future in golf. 

Instead of throwing in the towel, Kowack did not get bitter; he got better. He began to play in more tournaments across the United States, trying to get his name and numbers out there. In fact, Kowack took a gap year in between his senior year of high school and his freshman year of college, unlike most college golfers. Soon after graduation, things began to take a turn for the better.

“I was able to get recruited by SDSU because they were a local school,” Kowack added. “I ended up getting the offer right after high school graduation, and I was able to commit there. I am very lucky to have ended up here; it has been great for my development.”

Kowack was the third golfer in his recruiting class to pledge allegiance to the Aztecs, joining Dylan Oyama and Chanachon Chokprajakchat. 

Despite furthering his playing career, Kowack was not offered much scholarship money, forcing him to find another way to pay for his college experience. During his gap year, he found a job, played in more golf tournaments and even took a few college-level classes to stay in good academic shape. Kowack jokingly mentioned that, if he took a whole year off from school, he “would probably be showing up on campus like, ‘What is a book?’”

After an early absence from the starting lineup for roughly the first two months of his tenure as an Aztec, Kowack has been an impact player ever since. He considers himself privileged to compete with his team since his freshman year and has been logging meaningful rounds ever since.

“[Tyler] has just been a sponge,” head coach Ryan Donovan said. “Not only from me and from the players, but from people in the community that have helped him, instruction-wise. He has really worked on his mental game quite a bit, so I think that has helped him evolve.”

Throughout his golfing career, but particularly in college, Kowack has strived for constant evolution. He considered his freshman season a “learning experience” for a multitude of reasons, but mainly because of the mental hurdles he faced.

“I saw some highs, and I saw some lows,” Kowack said. “I played well in qualifying, but played poorly in the tournaments. It was great for my development because, without those poor results, I wouldn’t have made the changes that I did. The mental game is so important, [so] I met with our team sports psychologist and had a lot of good conversations with him.”

Kowack’s experience with failure and the ensuing mental adjustments enabled him to log many impressive feats. Namely, his career-low scoring average of 70.91 during his sophomore season and his most recent collegiate victory this past fall at the Marquette Intercollegiate at Erin Hills, a golf course that is widely regarded as one of the toughest tests in major golf. 

Both Donovan and Kowack are well aware of the senior standout’s proximity to professional golf, but they also know that staying grounded and hungry should remain the main focus. 

As Kowack continues to traverse the testy terrain of high-level golf, his simple yet analytical mindset toward uncomfortable situations or scenarios that require growth should translate into a fruitful future.

“You just have to put your feet where they need to go, and you just have to figure it out,” Kowack stated. “I think you learn the most by experience. Like I said, you learn a lot from failure, but you learn a lot by just putting yourself in those situations [that are unfamiliar]. Putting yourself outside of your comfort zone is the best way to develop quickly because you learn who you are.”