Starting Out: Eric Salazar ’11

Professional golfer based in Carmichael, Calif. This summer he will play on the Canadian tour and in September he plans to participate in the PGA Tour qualifying tournament. Played four years on the Princeton golf team. Princeton major: religion. 

Training: When he isn’t playing in a tournament, Salazar spends four to seven hours daily on the golf course. About half of his practice time is spent putting. He also works out for one to two hours in a gym – lifting weights, doing balance drills and yoga, and working on flexibility. 

What he loves: preparing for tournaments. “When I’m off by myself practicing, I put on my headphones and I get off in my own little world.” 

Most challenging: As a new professional, it’s difficult to make enough money in tournaments to pay his expenses week to week, says Salazar. So he is raising money from sponsors. “I’m basically a startup ­company,” he says. “It’s been hard to ask for money. But I feel very strongly that this is what I’m supposed to be doing right now.”