Cheyenne Woods is carving out her own destiny on the ladies’ circuit

Joy Chakravarty 22:46 09/12/2014
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  • Family fortunes: Cheyenne Woods, niece of 14-time major champion Tiger Woods, has her own ambitions of becoming World No1.

    Cheyenne Woods shares her surname with the most famous golfer of all time, but she is very much her own person.

    The 24-year-old niece of 14-time major champion Tiger Woods has been steadily climbing the ladder towards the pinnacle of women’s golf, and she marked a major milestone in that journey this Sunday when she qualified for the LPGA Tour through the grueling five-round Qualifying School.

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    Since turning professional in 2012, it’s been a journey that has trended only upwards. She started with the developmental tour in the US, then qualified for the Ladies European Tour in 2013, won her first professional event earlier this year in Australia and has now graduated to the LPGA Tour.

    And on the eve of the €500,000 Dubai Ladies Masters, Woods said: “Following last week, I’m still on such a high. It’s just really exciting to have played well and earned my LPGA card and finish my year here. Definitely my goal all year was to get my LPGA card.

    “I’m really excited. I’ve always wanted to come to Dubai.  So I was really looking forward to this tournament… It's a perfect way to end my year.”

    When asked about her goals, Cheyenne almost sounded like Tiger when she said: “My goal is always to have a successful career on the LPGA, be a champion, No1 in the world. That’s what people come out here to do. You don’t come out here to play for second place.”

    On creating her own identity, Cheyenne felt gaining the LPGA Tour card would help her move out of Tiger’s shadow.

    “I feel like most people are well aware of my family connections. I feel like everyone’s kind of moving past it. I’ve been out here for a few years now.

    “It’s been a long road to get there, one year on LET, one year on the mini‑tour.  So, I definitely worked hard to get there. I went through every possible stage possible.

    “I never compare myself to Tiger or what he’s done. I don’t feel like I need to validate anything for anybody. It’s just me and I’m trying to accomplish my goals and have my own career.  This is always what I wanted to do since I was five years old, so I don’t really think about what others expect of me, just what I expect of myself.”

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