Lizette Salas rising up the LPGA ranks

GALLOWAY TOWNSHIP, N.J. - Lizette Salas is one of the ascending young American stars on the LPGA Tour, primed by an outstanding career at Southern California that saw her become the first four-time all-American in school history.

But the road for Salas, 23, wasn't always easy. Her parents came to the United States from Mexico. Her father, Ramon, has worked as the head mechanic at a public golf course in Asuza, Calif., for more than 30 years.

He often did side work for the course's golf professional. When Lizette, the youngest of three children, was 7, he asked the pro to give his daughter golf lessons as the method of compensation.

"He always wanted his children to learn golf," Salas said Thursday as she wrapped up preparations for Friday's start of the ShopRite LPGA Classic at Stockton Seaview Hotel and Golf Club. "I don't come from a rich family. My mom and dad worked very hard. He knew how golf could be so expensive.

"I thought golf was a good way to bond with my dad and to be with him at work. From the age of 11, I never let go of that golf club, and it taught me so much."

Salas, in her second full year, ranks seventh on the LPGA money list with more than $382,000. She fell just short of her first career victory last month, losing to Suzann Pettersen in a playoff at the Lotte Championship. Her world ranking has risen to 18th.

After graduating from Southern Cal with a degree in sociology, Salas and her father, serving as her caddie, set off in the family car to play the Symetra Tour, the LPGA's developmental circuit. It was a tough grind.

"I started out with zero sponsors," she said. "We didn't have any money to pay for flights or rental cars. We just tried to save as much money as we could, and I tried to play the best golf I could. I learned a lot about myself, and that was kind of a big motivation to really step it up."

Later that year, Salas won the final available spot in the LPGA Qualifying Tournament in a nine-way playoff. Her father traveled with her on the tour last year, but not as much this year.

"We have a very close relationship," he said. "It's tough for him to not be with me every day because we've done it for so long. But I still give him a lot of credit to what we've accomplished as a family. Yeah, I miss him this week."

One goal for Salas is a spot on the U.S. Solheim Cup team for the August competition against Europe in Parker, Colo. The top eight American players in the points standings at the conclusion of the Women's British Open will qualify, and Salas currently is eighth.

"I kind of have to remind myself that the way I'm going to get on the team is by playing my golf," she said. "There could be pressure if I looked into it more than I should. But it's a blessing to be in the mix of all this. If I get picked, it'll be kind of surreal, but it'll be a good thing."

Special Olympics boost. ShopRite, in its 20th year as title sponsor of this event, announced at the tournament that it has become a founding partner of the 2014 Special Olympics USA Games, which will be held in June throughout Mercer County, and presented a $1 million check.