Many golfers hone their skills at an early age. For example, Tiger Woods swung a golf club when he was just 2 years old.

Enumclaw’s Tyler Salsbury waited a bit longer, first learning the game at the age of 3.

“My dad took my out to a course and I loved it,” Salsbury said. “I’ve been playing golf for 15 years.” Father Dave Salsbury now serves as his son’s caddy.

During his years on the links, Salsbury has compiled an impressive list of accomplishments. But when he recently qualified for the prestigious U.S. Amateur in Denver, Salsbury exceeded all expectations.

A graduate of Enumclaw High, Salsbury was one of three golfers earning a berth at the U.S. Amateur during a qualifying tournament in Portland, Ore. There were 75 hopefuls in the Portland field.

Throughout the nation, 312 golfers are invited to the U.S. Amateur in Denver. This year’s event is slated for Aug. 13-19.

When someone experiences success at a young age, much is expected. Salsbury has been able to live up to the high standards. He was a four-year member of the varsity golf team at EHS, tied the Enumclaw Golf Course record when he shot an 11-under-par 59 and qualified for the Class 3A state tournament all four years of his high school career. As a freshman year, Salsbury finished ninth. His best finish came during his sophomore year, where he placed second. He finished fourth and sixth during his junior and senior year, respectively.

With a high school career behind him, Salsbury will head to Seattle in the fall and will play for the Huskies. He has his mind set on majoring in business, specifically accounting.

“He’s just always on top of his school work, so we don’t have to worry about conflicting schedules with school and golf,” his mother, Lynn, said.

Looking past college, Salsbury still is setting the bar high.

“My first career choice is being a pro golfer, but if that doesn’t work out, I will definitely play golf for as long as I can,” he said.