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Lizette Salas got her first look at Mission Hills as a teenager when her father brought her to see Mexican star Lorena Ochoa.
"I remember watching Lorena, and I came out with a little banner for her that said, 'You can do it' in Spanish, and I had great memories from outside the ropes," Salas said. "Now, I'm trying to make some from inside the ropes."
She got a good start on that Friday, shooting a 4-under 68 to finish a stroke behind leader Inbee Park after the second round of the Kraft Nabisco Championship.
The 23-year-old daughter of Mexican immigrants, Salas was introduced to the game when her father, the head mechanic at Azusa Greens Golf Course west of Los Angeles, did some handyman jobs for the club pro and, instead of pay, asked him to teach his daughter to play.
"So, I started at 7," Salas said. "I didn't know how to dress and barely had a full set of golf clubs. ... It's been a roller coaster from that point."
She went on to star at the University of Southern California, where she was a four-time All-America selection and helped the Trojans win the 2008 NCAA title. She later caught Nancy Lopez's attention and they have become close friends, with the Hall of Famer serving as a mentor.
Read more http://espn.go.com/golf/story/_/id/9139997/inbee-park-leads-lpga-tour-kraft-nabisco-championship
