University of Houston Athletics
Santiago De La Fuente Earns All-America Honors
6/5/2023 1:35:00 PM | Men's Golf
Junior becomes first Cougar to receive All-America recognition since 2016
HOUSTON – After an award-winning season, University of Houston junior Santiago De La Fuente added another honor to his trophy case when he was named a PING NCAA All-America Honorable Mention by the Golf Coaches Association of America on Tuesday morning.
De La Fuente became the 60th All-American in Houston Men's Golf history and the first since Michael Perras received All-America Honorable Mention following the 2015-16 season.
This was not the first All-America award for De La Fuente during his career. He was named a PING All-America Honorable Mention following the 2020-21 season after leading Arkansas Tech to the NCAA Division II national championship.
ABOUT SANTIAGO DE LA FUENTE
De La Fuente was the Cougars' most consistent performer in 2022-23 after transferring from Arkansas Tech.
This season, Fuente led Houston with a 70.71 scoring average, which ranked as the second-best single-season mark in program history and trailed only Rex Baxter's 69.57 average in 1956.
De La Fuente topped Houston with 26 rounds of par or better, including 13 in the 60s, and opened the spring season by winning the Border Olympics individual title at Laredo Country Club on Feb. 13-14. He opened his Cougar career with eight straight Top-15 showings, including five Top-10 finishes.
In the postseason, De La Fuente fired three straight rounds in the 60s and captured the individual title at the American Athletic Conference Championships with a score of 10-under 200 for his second individual crown in 2022-23. Tied with teammate Austyn Reily for the individual lead late in the Final Round, he closed the tournament with three birdies during his last six holes.
For his impressive work all season, De La Fuente was named the American Athletic Conference Player of Year and was named to the All-Conference Team. He also earned a place on the PING All-Central Region Team.
De La Fuente was a two-time All-Great American Conference First-Team and GCAA All-Central Region selection in his first two seasons at Arkansas Tech before joining the Cougars.
PING ALL-AMERICA TEAMS
First Team
Second Team
Third Team
Honorable Mention
SUPPORT HOUSTON RISE
Join Houston Rise, a $150 million fundraising campaign for Houston Athletics dedicated to championship success in the Big 12 Conference.
Every Houston Rise contribution prepares our Cougars to compete and win when we start Big 12 competition in July 2023. Click here to rise and be counted.
JOIN PROJECT 17
Fans are invited to join Project 17 to support Houston Men's Golf. Project members provide financial support directly to Houston Men's Golf for needs beyond the program's operating budget.
For information about Project 17 or to join, fans can click here.
STAY CONNECTED
Fans can receive updates by following @UHCougarMGolf on Twitter and catch up with the latest news and notes on the team by clicking LIKE on the team's Facebook page at UHCougarMGolf. Fans also can follow the team on Instagram at uhcougarmgolf.
De La Fuente became the 60th All-American in Houston Men's Golf history and the first since Michael Perras received All-America Honorable Mention following the 2015-16 season.
This was not the first All-America award for De La Fuente during his career. He was named a PING All-America Honorable Mention following the 2020-21 season after leading Arkansas Tech to the NCAA Division II national championship.ABOUT SANTIAGO DE LA FUENTE
De La Fuente was the Cougars' most consistent performer in 2022-23 after transferring from Arkansas Tech.
This season, Fuente led Houston with a 70.71 scoring average, which ranked as the second-best single-season mark in program history and trailed only Rex Baxter's 69.57 average in 1956.
De La Fuente topped Houston with 26 rounds of par or better, including 13 in the 60s, and opened the spring season by winning the Border Olympics individual title at Laredo Country Club on Feb. 13-14. He opened his Cougar career with eight straight Top-15 showings, including five Top-10 finishes.
In the postseason, De La Fuente fired three straight rounds in the 60s and captured the individual title at the American Athletic Conference Championships with a score of 10-under 200 for his second individual crown in 2022-23. Tied with teammate Austyn Reily for the individual lead late in the Final Round, he closed the tournament with three birdies during his last six holes.
For his impressive work all season, De La Fuente was named the American Athletic Conference Player of Year and was named to the All-Conference Team. He also earned a place on the PING All-Central Region Team.
De La Fuente was a two-time All-Great American Conference First-Team and GCAA All-Central Region selection in his first two seasons at Arkansas Tech before joining the Cougars.
PING ALL-AMERICA TEAMS
First Team
| Student-Athlete | School |
| Ludvig Åberg | Texas Tech |
| Fred Biondi | Florida |
| Adrien Dumont de Chassart | Illinois |
| David Ford | North Carolina |
| Ben James | Virginia |
| Tommy Kuhl | Illinois |
| Christo Lamprecht | Georgia Tech |
| Gordon Sargent | Vanderbilt |
| Preston Summerhays | Arizona State |
| Caleb Surratt | Tennessee |
| Michael Thorbjornsen | Stanford |
Second Team
| Student-Athlete | School |
| Nick Dunlap | Alabama |
| Nick Gabrelcik | North Florida |
| Ian Gilligan | Long Beach State |
| Derek Hitchner | Pepperdine |
| Yuxin Lin | Florida |
| Christiaan Maas | Texas |
| Maxwell Moldovan | Ohio State |
| Brett Roberts | Florida State |
| Ross Steelman | Georgia Tech |
| Sampson Zheng | California |
Third Team
| Student-Athlete | School |
| Cole Anderson | Florida State |
| Owen Avrit | Oregon |
| Ryan Burnett | North Carolina |
| Sam Choi | Pepperdine |
| Canon Claycomb | Alabama |
| Austin Greaser | North Carolina |
| Dylan Menante | North Carolina |
| William Moll | Vanderbilt |
| William Mouw | Pepperdine |
| Herman Sekne | Purdue |
Honorable Mention
| Student-Athlete | School |
| Santiago De La Fuente | Houston |
| Matthew Anderson | San Francisco |
| Josele Ballester | Arizona State |
| Jonas Baumgartner | Oklahoma State |
| Barclay Brown | Stanford |
| Jackson Buchanan | Illinois |
| J.M. Butler | Auburn |
| Ricky Castillo | Florida |
| Luke Clanton | Florida State |
| John Dubois | Florida |
| Mats Ege | East Tennessee State |
| Garrett Endicott | Mississippi State |
| Luke Gifford | Pepperdine |
| Drew Goodman | Oklahoma |
| Nathan Han | Columbia |
| Connor Howe | Georgia Tech |
| Max Kennedy | Louisville |
| Frederik Kjettrup | Florida State |
| Marcus Lim | Sacred Heart |
| Ben Lorenz | Oklahoma |
| Brian Ma | Harvard |
| Phicaksn Maichon | Texas A&M |
| Dylan McDermott | Colorado |
| Michael Mjaaseth | Arizona State |
| Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen | Oklahoma State |
| Matthew Riedel | Vanderbilt |
| Daniel Rodrigues | Texas A&M |
| Drew Salyers | Indiana |
| Cole Sherwood | Vanderbilt |
| Neal Shipley | Ohio State |
| Brendan Valdes | Auburn |
| Ben Van Wyk | Georgia |
| Kari Vilips | Stanford |
| Patrick Welch | Oklahoma |
SUPPORT HOUSTON RISE
Join Houston Rise, a $150 million fundraising campaign for Houston Athletics dedicated to championship success in the Big 12 Conference.
Every Houston Rise contribution prepares our Cougars to compete and win when we start Big 12 competition in July 2023. Click here to rise and be counted.
JOIN PROJECT 17
Fans are invited to join Project 17 to support Houston Men's Golf. Project members provide financial support directly to Houston Men's Golf for needs beyond the program's operating budget.
For information about Project 17 or to join, fans can click here.
STAY CONNECTED
Fans can receive updates by following @UHCougarMGolf on Twitter and catch up with the latest news and notes on the team by clicking LIKE on the team's Facebook page at UHCougarMGolf. Fans also can follow the team on Instagram at uhcougarmgolf.
– UHCougars.com –
Players Mentioned
HIGHLIGHTS – Border Olympics Final Round (February 16, 2026)
Wednesday, February 18
HIGHLIGHTS – Border Olympics First Day (February 16, 2026)
Tuesday, February 17
PRACTICE ROUND – Border Olympics (February 15, 2026)
Sunday, February 15
PRACTICE (February 14, 2026)
Sunday, February 15