Succumbing to Injury Again, LPGA Star Lizette Salas Withdraws From Cognizant Founders Cup 2024

Lizette Salas has fallen victim to her “scary” health struggles once again. The 34-year-old has recently withdrawn from the upcoming Cognizant Founders Cup, scheduled from May 9th to May 12th. Notably, she made a comeback after nine months on tour in March. She competed at Palos Verdes Golf Club.

Salas’s absence is scheduled to be remedied by replacing her with LPGA Tour rookie Alexandra Forsterling, making the event scheduled to be held at Upper Montclair Country Club her third start this season. She has previously competed in the FIR HILLS SERI PAK Championship and JM Eagle LA Championship and finished at T39 and T61, respectively. Forsterling finished T27 at the LPGA Q-Series to earn an LPGA Tour membership for the 2024 season. But what are these health hurdles that have impeded Salas from making her fifth start since her comeback?

Well, our best guess is a return of her “scary” back pain struggles from May 2023. Her pain was so scary that she did “not wish that on anybody.” She was diagnosed with disc problems and muscular abnormalities at the time. Even after going through a tough path to recovery filled with hurdles, it seems all her efforts were in vain.

She competed in the 2023 US Open, and after that, her body just shut down, and the golfer found it to be “pretty scary.” Golfers battle with injuries very often, and as much as it is a physical struggle, it takes a toll on mental health too. The same thing happened with Salas too. Addressing her struggles with recovery post-hiatus, she said, “It’s not only a physical pain but a mental pain.”

Her unprecedented withdrawal in May 2024 goes on to show that May is definitely not the USC graduate’s lucky month. However, despite the testing nature of her back issues and associated impairment, Salas has remained extremely positive and perseverant in her attempts to make a roaring return. After all, it was “one of the biggest goals” she had set for herself.

Diving deeper into Lizette Salas’ performance since her comeback

Since making her return at the 2024 FIR HILLS SERI PAK Championship, Salas has competed in three other events. Out of which, she has made the cut only twice. She finished at T44 in her first event and at T45 at the Ford Championship presented by KCC.

The trend of not making it to the weekend began at the first major of the season, the Chevron Championship. A similar destiny was replicated at the JM Eagle LA Championship presented by Plastpro and held at the Wilshire Country Club. It seems these missed cuts were the signs of her body telling Salas to take it slow.

A resurgent comeback from her injuries forced the 34-year-old to withdraw from the Cognizant Founders Cup. It remains to be seen if this withdrawal will lead to another prolonged hiatus. What do you think the future holds for an injured yet inspired Lizette Salas? Let us know in the comments below.