Lizette Salas

The daughter of Mexican immigrants, her father was the head mechanic at Azusa Greens GC and did favors for the head pro in exchange for Salas' golf lessons, who started to play the game at age 7. He also made her first set of clubs, which included drilling holes in the side of 7-iron to make it lighter. Salas says her most thrilling moment in sports was shooting a course-record 62. Lizette likes to play basketball, dance, Zumba, listen to music, and go shopping when she's not playing golf. Her greatest passion besides golf is Latin dancing. She graduated from USC in 2011 with a degree in Sociology.
Became the first four-time All-American at the University of Southern California in 2011. Had seven top-10 finishes in her senior season and helped lead USC to the Pac-10 Championship. She had five top-10 finishes in her junior season and was named second-team All-American and first-team All-Pac-10. Won the Turtle Bay Collegiate Invitational in 2009. She was named Pac-10 Player of the Year in 2009 as a sophomore and had the fifth-best scoring average in the country at 71.82. Had her first collegiate win at the Stafford Intercollegiate in her sophomore season, shooting 7-under par 206. One of three girls chosen to represent the United States at the 2006 Honda International Junior Championship in Japan. Helped the Southern California team secure its victory at the 2006 Girls' Junior America's Cup Team Matches.
Advanced to the Round of 16 in the 2009 U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links and made it to the second round of match play in the 2009 U.S. Women's Amateur. Played in three other U.S. Women's Amateurs and advanced to the round of 16 in 2007. Made it to the match-play round in the 2008 U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links.
Turned professional in June 2011 and finished T-20th at the LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament to earn Priority List Category 11 for the 2012 LPGA season. She played in the Symetra Tour in 2011 and recorded a career-best T4 finish at the Island Resort Championship.
2012 Notes: Played in 18 events, made 16 cuts, and earned $242,035 (51st on the Tour money list). Best finish was T9 at the Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia. Finished in 3rd in the Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year race. Carded a career-low 65 in the first round of the 2012 Navistar LPGA Classic.
2013 Notes: Made an impressive 23 cuts out of 24 events and finished 15th on the Tour money list. Carded a career-low 62 in the final round of the LPGA LOTTE Championship to force a playoff with Suzanne Pettersen; ultimately lost the playoff for a runner-up finish. Crossed the $1 million mark in career earnings with a T39 at the CME Group Titleholders. Competed on her first U.S. Solheim Cup Team and posted a 1-0-2 record.
2014 Notes: She was 24th on the money list with $669,106 and 22nd in CME points with her first LPGA win at the Kingsmill Championship, beating Yani Tseng, Lexi Thompson, and Sarah Jane Smith by four shots. Salas shot a final-round 71 and finished at 13-under 271. She was T-3rd at the season-opening Pure Silk Bahamas Classic, three back of winner Jessica Korda. She was the co-leader with Cristie Kerr after 54 holes of the Kia Classic, then shot 70 Sunday to finish 2nd, one back of winner Anna Nordqvist.
2015 Notes: Made 22 cuts in 24 starts to finish 31st on the money list. She was hampered early in the season by hip and lower back issues, but a kickboxing training regimen provided relief. She had two top-10s, including a T-2nd at the Meijer LPGA Classic, where she led after 54 holes before a closing 70 left her one stroke behind Lexi Thompson. Salas ranked 6th for the season in driving accuracy and 10th in putting average. She played on her second U.S. Solheim Cup team, going 1-2 in the matches, her victory coming in singles over Azahara Munoz.
2016 Notes: Played in 24 LPGA events making 20 cuts. Her best finish was a solo 12th in the season-ending CME Group LPGA Tour Championship. She was 58th on the money list with $333,013 and 35th in CME points.
2017 Notes: Played in 27 LPGA making 24 cuts and posting eight top-ten finishes, and was 21st on the LPGA money list. She was T-4th at the Volvik Championship, 2 shots back of winner Shanshan Feng. She was named to the U.S. Solheim Cup team and clinched the U.S. victory on Sunday with her 1-up win over Jodi Ewart Shadoff. Salas was 3-1-0 for the week. She had four top-10 finishes during the Asian swing with a 4th at the KEB Hana Bank Championship, a T-3rd at the Swinging Skirts Taiwan LPGA Championship, a 4th at the TOTO Japan, and a T-10th at the Blue Bay LPGA.
2018 Notes: Played in 24 LPGA Tour events making 22 cuts with four top-ten finishes. She was T-2nd at the Kia Classic, 2 shots back of winner Eun-Hee Ji. She was 2nd at the Indy Women in Tech Championship, losing a playing to Sung Hyun Park. She earned $822,064 and was 23rd on the money list and 21st in the Race to CME.
2019 Notes: Played in 24 LPGA Tour events making 21 cuts with three top-ten finishes. She was 13th on the money list with $1,038,152 in earnings. After a slow start to her season, things heated up, starting with a T-5th at the KPMG Women's PGA Championship, Salas was four shots back of winner Hannah Green. She was 2nd at the AIG Women's British Open, shot 65 in the final round to finish a shot back of winner Hinako Shibuno. Salas missed a five-foot putt at the last hole that could have forced a playoff. Shibuno claimed the win when she birdied the 18th hole. Was T-3rd at the CP Women's Open. She played in her fourth Solheim Cup and had a 2-2-0 record. Beat Anne Van Dam 1 up in her singles match.
2020 Notes: Played in 13 LPGA events making 11 cuts with one top-ten finish. She was 62nd on the money list with $192,024 in earnings. She was 61st on the CME points list. Her best finish came in her first start of the season, T-10th at the ISPS Handa Women's Australian Open.
2021 Notes: Played in 21 LPGA Tour events making 17 cuts with four top-ten finishes. She was 19th on the CME Points list and 11th on the money list, with earnings of $1,161,594. Shot a final round 64 at the Pure Silk Championship to finish T-5th, five shots behind winner Wei-Ling Hsu. Was T-6th at the Meijer LPGA Classic. A week later, she was 2nd at the KPMG Women's PGA Championship, 3 shots back of winner Nelly Korda. Was runner-up again at the AIG Women's Open, a shot back of winner Anna Nordqvist. She played in her fifth Solheim Cup matches and had a 2-1-1 record, losing her singles match to Matilda Castren 1 up.
2022 Notes: Played in 23 LPGA Tour events, making 17 cuts with four top-ten finishes. She was 39th on the money list with $762,032 in earnings and was 35th in CME points. Partnered with Jennifer Kupcho as they won the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational, beating Matilda Castren and Kelly Tan by five shots. It ended a long drought for Salas, who hadn?t won in more than eight years since the 2014 Kingsmill Championship (8 years, 1 month, 28 days). She had a strong finish to her season and was in the top 20 in her last five starts. Her best was T-5th at the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship, four shots back of the Atthaya Thitikul/Danielle Kang playoff.
2023 Notes: Best finish, T-13th at the DIO Implant LA Open.