Cheyenne eager to emerge from the shadow of Uncle Tiger
THERE is a Tigress on the prowl in Ayrshire hoping to catch the world’s t op f e male golfers off guard over the course of the next 11 days. Cheyenne Woods is on a quest to establish her name as a dual winner of the Aberdeen Asset Management Ladies Scottish Open and the Ricoh Women’s British Open, in the hope that she may at last emerge from the shadow of her much more famous uncle.
The 24-year-old from Phoenix says she does not have a huge issue with being constantly referred to as Tiger Woods’ niece. But it would make a welcome change all the same for her to be recognised in her own right for her golfing prowess.
‘It’s been nice to have people starting to see me as an individual rather than the link to Tiger,’ the fledgling star of the LPGA Tour admitted yesterday.
‘As I turned professional, I expected to be asked about him a lot because I was new to the scene. That might have been all people knew about me.
‘I feel me constantly being referred to as Tiger’s niece is old news. But it’s always going to be there and I’m never going to get mad or frustrated about it.’
Woods is still adjusting to the time change and the unseasonal weather after l eaving behind 110 degree temperatures where she lives in Arizona for Dundonald Links and Turnberry.
‘This is like our winter,’ she said. ‘It takes a bit of adjustment with four layers on.’
Despite being far from home, Woods will presumably not have missed the fact that Uncle Tiger has fallen further in the latest world rankings.
The three - ti me Open champion dropped 17 spots to 258th in the wake of his exit at the halfway stage from St Andrews, where he was Open champion in 2000 and 2005.
It clearly pains her to watch the 14- time major winner’s career in seeming meltdown, but she conceded: ‘It even happens to the best players in the world.
‘Amateurs and professionals, we all have those moments where you have it one day, then the next it just disappears.
‘It’s difficult to see him struggle because I grew up watching him at the top of his game and when you watch Tiger Woods’ highlights it’s amazing to see what he was able to do. The energy he brought to the course was different to anyone else.
‘I miss that and I’m sure other people do, too.’
Woods has not sought advice f rom her relative (right) about how best to approach links golf, but she admitted that she may text him for guidance, given her limited knowledge of that form of the game. ‘This is my first trip back to Scotland since I tried to qualify at Kingsbarns for the British Open at St Andrews so my experience is pretty limited,’ she explained. ‘When I was at high school we had a trip here and played a few courses in the St Andrews area and I do enjoy the links game. ‘I played an event in the US at Bandon Dunes, which is a links- type course, and I did enjoy that, the wind and the different shots. That forces you to be creative and tough.’
Since turning pro in 2012, Woods has won twice — the SunCoast Ladies Series LPGA International and the Volvik RACV Ladies Masters.
Following her win in Australia in 2012, she played a year on the Symetra Tour in the States and earned her LPGA card.
‘I feel I have progressed and my game has got much better. I am getting more comfortable with the professional life and what it takes to be consistently at the top,’ she added.
‘I think it would be amazing to win in Scotland, where the history of golf is so special.’
As a precursor to the British Open the timing of the Ladies Scottish Op e n , starting tomorrow, could hardly have been more opportunegiven t he t wo events are being staged within a few miles of each other.
A s ubstantial i ncrease in prize-money to £360,000 has also helped attract the strongest field in the history of the pro-am style event.
World No 2 Lydia Ko, the Koreanborn New Zealander, leads an array of star names, including two-time major winner Suzann Pettersen, Charley Hull, Melissa Reid, Laura Davies, Catriona Matthew and defending champion Trish Johnson.
World ranked No 7 Pettersen is keen to rekindle her love affair with links golf after describing Dundonald as a ‘great course’.
The 34-year-old Norwegian, who has been as high as second in the world, is more used to playing target golf in the States.
But she said: ‘Here you can be as creative as you like. There are several options with every shot, whereas some of the courses we play are one-directional.
‘I usually find it takes a couple of days to adjust my game, but what I like about these courses is that you would rather play them than practise.
‘ I’ m excited to be back in Scotland. I’ve never played backto-back leading up to the British Open but I decided to try to change it a bit this time and fall in love with links golf.’
Pettersen, winner of 15 LPGA tournaments and seven LET events, believes she may have stolen a march on several of her rivals ahead of next week’s major.
She explained: ‘I can go out on Monday morning and play while the rest are still travelling from the US. The Ladies Scottish Open is perfect preparation for the event. But I’m here to win this week.’