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Tiger's Niece Has Golf World Looking Out

At 18, Cheyenne Woods rises through the college ranks

By Katherine Thompson, Newser Staff

Posted Apr 8, 2009 9:53 AM CDT

(Newser) – On the golf course, Cheyenne Woods has two big advantages, both related to her family: Her grandfather started teaching her to play before she entered kindergarten, and she bears an uncanny resemblance to her uncle Tiger. Talk about mind games. But her goal is "just make a name for myself," the 18-year-old Wake Forest freshman tells NPR.

Woods, who grew up in Arizona, is already ranked 100th among 2000 women college golfers, and "she picks things up very quickly," says her coach. That's another advantage for Woods, who plans to go professional after she graduates, and another threat to the current field of women golfers. For now, she says, "I try to set myself aside from the Tiger Woods name."

[Images (4)]

[Quotes (2)]

Tiger Woods, left, is shown in Doral, Fla., in a March 19, 2008 file photo. His niece, Wake Forest golfer Cheyenne Woods, is shown in Advance, N.C., in a Sept. 4, 2008 file photo. (AP photo/File)

Wake Forest golfer Cheyenne Woods tees off during practice at Bermuda Run Country Club in Advance, N.C., Thursday, Sept. 4, 2008. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)

Wake Forest golfer Cheyenne Woods hits from a sand trap during practice at Bermuda Run Country Club, Thursday, Sept. 4, 2008. She's got the firm grip and a fluid swing of her uncle Tiger. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)

Wake Forest golfer Cheyenne Woods watches her fairway shot. Ranked in the top hundred of women's college golfers, she's well on her way to following in her uncle Tiger's footsteps. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)

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[I] continued to play golf because right around the time I started, Tiger had just turned pro and won the Masters and all of that. - Cheyenne Woods

She's one of the most coachable kids I've ever had, and she picks things up very quickly. So if you're teaching her something, you only have to tell her once or twice ... and she goes with it. - Dianne Dailey, the women's golf coach at Wake Forest

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Tiger's Niece Has Golf World Looking Out