Tiger Woods' Niece Cheyenne Woods A Promising Start as A Golfer

When Cheyenne Woods steps up to the tee, it's obvious golf is in her DNA. She's got the firm grip and a fluid swing, not to mention the almond-shaped eyes and wide smile of her uncle Tiger.With her Wake Forest University golf coach and teammates watching at a recent practice, the pressure was on the team's lone freshman. She wasn't too happy with a tee shot that landed near a tree, but pumped the next through some branches, over sand traps and onto the green."My mom and I would go to the park every night and hit balls because she didn't know what a driving range was," Woods said. "That's when I fell in love with it."

Like Tiger, Woods got her first set of clubs as a youngster from the late Earl Woods Sr., her grandfather and Tiger's father. He taught her how to swing, as he had years earlier with his now famous son, during spring break visits to his California home. He visited her home in Phoenix to watch her play events when she was younger."She did have a special relationship with her grandfather," said Susan Woods, Cheyenne's mother, who divorced Earl Woods Jr., Tiger's half-brother, when their daughter was two.

Now the niece of the world's best golfer is playing competitively for the Demon Deacons, ranked 12th in the NCAA by Golfweek. Wooed by several universities, including Tulane and Tennessee, Woods said she chose Wake Forest because of its academics and golf program.In her first tournament, the Duramed NCAA Fall Preview in Maryland, Woods and the Demon Deacons finished ninth in a 15-team field. Her three-round score of 225 was good for a tie for 26th out of 75 players.

"She's going to have an impact on the team right away," coach Dianne Dailey said.Woods has played in charity matches with Tiger in support of his foundation and, though she doesn't speak with her uncle on a regular basis, said he inspires her."Just seeing him on TV and knowing that someone in my family is succeeding, it's just really motivating," she said.So far, Woods said she hasn't felt extra pressure because of her last name. She prepares for matches the same way she did while playing high school golf at Xavier College Preparatory in Phoenix, tuning her iPod to Usher to keep her mind level. She grew accustomed at Xavier to cameras at her matches and television interviews when she was finished.