The hottest Woods playing golf right now is not Tiger Woods; his niece, Cheyenne, grabbed that mantle Sunday.
According to CBSSports.com, the 23-year-old Cheyenne won the Australian Ladies Masters on Sunday for her first major professional tour victory. She defeated Australian amateur Minjee Lee by two strokes. The tournament, while not a LPGA event, is sanctioned by the European and Australian tours.
Woods shot a 4-under 69 in the final round for a 16-under 276.
She is the daughter of Earl Woods Jr., Tiger's half-brother. Their father was Earl Woods Sr., but Earl had a different mother, named Susan Woods.
ESPN.com posted a tweet from Tiger about his niece's win: "Way to go @Cheyenne_Woods ! A great win and accomplishment. I'm so proud of you."
When Cheyenne came away with the winner's trophy, Susan told GolfDigest.com how proud Cheyenne's late grandfather would have been.
"He would have been just as proud (as he would be when Tiger won)," Susan said. "I had the same feeling when Cheyenne won the (Atlantic Coast Conference) championship a few years back (while at Wake Forest) I was able to be there, and walking that whole back nine on the last day I had the same feeling in my heart that he was watching and feeling so proud. Watching online I had the same feeling. I know he would have been so proud of her."
Burdened by having the famous last name in golf, Cheyenne fought tears as she talked about her accomplishment.
"This is a huge accomplishment for me," she said, according to CBSSports.com. "The European Tour has been great to be able to play this past year.
"I've been pro for two years and, for the majority of it, people just think of me as Tiger Woods' niece so now I have a game of my own and I have a title now, a win, which is exciting. It's nice now to say to people that I can play and I'm not just a name.
"Growing up with the last name of Woods, there's a lot of expectations and pressure and spotlight on you but I always knew that I was able to win."
Woods' win earned her $51,000 in prize money and a two-year exemption on the Ladies European Tour events.
© Copyright 2024 Sports World News, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
