Isaiah Salinda Facts: 15 Things You Didn’t Know About The Korn Ferry Tour Pro

Isaiah Salinda at the US Open.

Isaiah Salinda had a distinguished amateur career before turning pro in 2020, and has shown flashes of brilliance in the years since, not least at the 2024 US Open.

If he wasn’t well known before the Pinehurst No.2 Major, that had begun to change as early as the opening round, where he made an even-par 70 as far more celebrated players including Matt Fitzpatrick, Viktor Hovland and Phil Mickelson struggled.

So, what is Salinda’s background, and what are his achievements in golf so far? Here’s what we know about him.

1. Salinda was born in South San Francisco, California on 13 March 1997

2. He attended Junipero Serra High School and became the first student in the school’s history to be named varsity team MVP as a freshman

3. In 2015, he began attending Stanford, majoring in Management Science and Engineering four years later

4. In 2018, he won the Pacific Coast Amateur at the Olympic Club, helped by a course record nine-under 62 in the third round

5. The same year, he also reached the semi-finals of the US Amateur at Pebble Beach. It was eventually won by Viktor Hovland

6. In 2019, he helped the US win the Walker Cup

7. Also in 2019, he was part of the Stanford team that won the NCAA title. Individually, he tied for sixth with Collin Morikawa

Isaiah Salinda helped Stanford to the 2019 NCAA title (Image credit: Getty Images)

8. Salinda made his PGA Tour debut at the 2019 Safeway Open, and finished T33

9. After turning pro in 2020, the early part of that stage of his career saw him competing largely on the PGA Tour Canada

10. His maiden Major appearance came in the 2022 US Open at the Country Club of Brookline via final qualifying, but he missed the cut

11. He held Korn Ferry Tour membership for the first time in 2023

12. Salinda also played twice on the PGA Tour in 2023, and he achieved his best finish on it to date in one of the appearances with a T7 at the Shriners Children’s Open

13. In February 2024, he claimed his first professional win in style. Salinda won the Panama Championship on the Korn Ferry Tour by eight shots – the fourth-largest margin of victory in the circuit’s history. 

Isaiah Salinda claimed his maiden professional win at the Korn Ferry Tour's Panama Championship (Image credit: Getty Images)

14. His hobbies and interests include basketball, swimming, reading and watching football

15. Salinda qualified for the 2024 US Open at Pinehurst No.2 after making it through final qualifying at Woodmont Country Club