KOHLER, Wis. — When Tiger Woods took his first swings with a golf club as a child, it was in the garage of his father, Earl Woods Sr. Nearly 15 years after that, Tiger's niece Cheyenne Woods got her start in golf the exact same way.
"It was in my grandfather's garage," Cheyenne told FOXSportsWisconsin.com. "I think I was about 3 years old or something."
Now 21, Cheyenne
Woods is playing her second professional tournament this
week at the US Women's Open. She opened with a 75 on Thursday and is six shots back.
Whereas Tiger has 74th PGA Tour tournament victories, Cheyenne is just looking to make her first cut on the LPGA Tour. Cheyenne — whose father, Earl Woods Jr., is Tiger's older brother — graduated from Wake Forest on May 22 and immediately turned pro.
After Cheyenne's storied college career, which included winning the Atlantic Coast Conference championship in her junior season at Wake Forest, it appears that another member of the Woods family is about to burst onto the golf scene.
"Ever since I can remember, this was definitely my dream," Cheyenne said. "Ever since I was probably 5 and I started playing, watching Tiger on TV, I knew I wanted to get out there, too."
Her swing doesn't quite look like Tiger's, but Cheyenne is already decked out in full Nike gear and clubs, just like her uncle. Less than 20 days after becoming a professional golfer, Cheyenne accepted a multiyear agreement with Nike to be the company's newest face on the LPGA Tour.
Though Tiger and Cheyenne do talk occasionally, the conversations aren't usually packed with too much golf advice.
"I have my own swing instructor, so he (Tiger) kind of leaves me with my swing instructor," Cheyenne said. "But he's always there to guide me if I needed help. Going on this path of professional golf, he's definitely a person I can go to for help."
Having arguably the best golfer ever on your speed dial is certainly an advantage for Cheyenne, but sharing the Woods last name also comes with its share of distractions.
"For me, I've always had it, so it's nothing out of the usual for me," Cheyenne said. "But there's a lot of media attention, a lot of expectations and added pressure. I've dealt with it since I was like 10 years old, so it's nothing new to me."
At the LPGA Championship in early June, Cheyenne shot 10 over par in the first two days and failed to make the cut for the weekend. But if the 30-plus tournaments that she won as an amateur are any indication, it shouldn't take Cheyenne long to make a name for herself as more than simply Tiger's niece.
While racking up win after win in high school at Xavier College Preparatory in Arizona, Cheyenne began realizing that she wasn't that far away from landing her dream job.
"I had my first collegiate win my sophomore year, and then my junior year I won the ACC championships," Cheyenne said. "So I was improving every year, and that was really exciting to see. So I knew that I was getting closer and closer to where I need to be."
No longer having to balance school and golf should help Cheyenne as she attempts to elevate from being good enough to turn professional, to being good enough to contend for a major tournament. The qualified for this week's even by being co-medalist in regional qualifying.
"I have so much time on my hands now," Cheyenne said. "I run every morning, I practice before it gets too hot, I work out. It's been nice not having to have that stress of the papers, the tests, the presentations, going to class every day."
At age 21, Tiger won his first major championship. Living up to the standard that Tiger set in 1997 is nearly impossible, but if Cheyenne is able to finish the US Women's Open with a victory Sunday at that same age, golf may have its next star attraction — and it would be attached with quite a familiar last name.
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