Just 15 PGA Tour events and he is already fighting for the title! Isaiah Salinda’s performance in the 2025 Mexico Open shocked the fans. The 27-year-old had only played only a few PGA Tour events in his career. He was not as popular as some of his peers at VidantaWorld. And yet, Isaiah Salinda managed to be a surprise candidate to challenge Brian Campbell and Aldrich Potgieter for the title on February 23, 2025.

The San Francisco local had a short stint in the Korn Ferry Tour. Getting his card in 2023, Salinda managed to secure his first win at the 2024 Panama Championship. With that, he booked his place on the PGA Tour for the 2025 season. And after four tournaments this season, the Californian has already managed a 3rd place finish. We can assume that Brian Campbell would be feeling fortunate that Salinda didn’t score a couple more birdies, or the former would have not won his PGA Tour title.

After the outstanding show in Mexico, fans must be eager to know more about the 27-year-old. So let’s take a look at how Isaiah Salinda became one of the most exciting names in 2025.

Isaiah Salinda’s long road to the PGA Tour

Isaiah Salinda was born on March 13, 1997, in San Francisco, California to Antonio and Debbie Salinda. He also has a brother named Daryl. Salinda was very young when he started chasing the dream of becoming a professional golfer. He received a lot of support from Antonio and Debbie, who worked very hard in the postal services and as a nurse respectively to give their son the life he wanted. The 27-year-old completed his schooling at Junipero Serra High School. During his time there, he earned the MVP title for his varsity team. Salinda was the first student in his school’s history to earn the title. He carried his hot streak to Stanford University where he majored in Management Science and Engineering.

During his time at Stanford, Salinda won the Pacific Coast Amateur in 2018. He did so by setting the Olympic Club course record of 9-under par 62 in the third round. The same year, he also reached the semifinals of the US Amateur. Interestingly, the tournament was eventually won by the Norwegian swinger, Viktor Hovland. In his final year at the University, Salinda won the Walker Cup as a part of Team US. He also captured the NCAA title representing Stanford. On the individual leaderboard, he was tied with Collin Morikawa for the 6th position.

Salinda’s performance as an amateur won him the ticket to the 2019 Safeway Open. Yes, he competed in a PGA Tour event and finished at T33. One of the golfers he shared the position with is the 2025 Farmers Insurance Open champion, Harris English. Isaiah Salinda turned pro in 2020 and has since played in various leagues. Apart from his PGA Tour adventures, Salinda has also performed in the PGA Tour Canada, the Korn Ferry Tour, and the PGA Tour Latinoamerica.

Salinda kicked off 2024 with a win in the Panama Championship. But his 8th-place finish at the LECOM Suncoast Classic and 7th place in the Albertsons Boise Open also helped him gain vital points. The San Francisco local ended the season 18th on the Korn Ferry Tour leaderboard. That’s how he got his PGA Tour card for the 2025 season.

This was the career trajectory of Isaiah Salinda. Now let’s take a dive into his personal life.

Traveling with his golf kit

As the heading suggests, Isaiah Salinda loves to travel. And he rarely does so alone. Salinda has a girlfriend named Jackie McNulty. The couple have been together for around 6 years, based on the posts shared by the pro golfer. It seems that McNulty loves joining Salinda on the course as she has made an appearance in the past. Alternatively, the couple loves traveling to the beach, criticizing misleading names of mountain ranges, and dressing up for Halloween. They are also seen partying, playing pool, and sharing their love for ice cream together. In fact, in December 2024, Isaiah Salinda proposed to Jackie McNulty while the couple visited an ice cream shop, Little Man Ice Cream.

Other posts of Isaiah Salinda mostly revolve around golf. There is also a picture of him with Tiger Woods from 2016 when the GOAT still had a goatee. Salinda may have received a few pointers from Woods during their meet considering how he performed in the 2025 Mexico Open.

Do you think Isaiah Salinda will win a PGA Tour even in 2025? Share your opinion in the comments section.