Into the Light

Cheyenne Woods steps out of her uncle’s shadow and onto the fairway with one of the most talented teams in the ACC

Cheyenne Woods, Photo Courtesy of Ken Bennett, WFU PhotographerCheyenne Woods is not your typical college freshman. Sure, she goes to class, crams for mid-terms and deals with the rigors of balancing a full course load while playing collegiate golf at Wake Forest University. But there is one minor detail that makes this Demon Deacon stand out. If the last name sounds familiar, it should—her uncle is Tiger Woods.

Daughter of Earl Woods Jr., Tiger’s half brother, and Susan Woods, Cheyenne was introduced to the game at the age of five. Early on her mother would take her to the park to practice because she didn’t know what a driving range was. “She knows (Susan Woods) a lot more about golf now then when I first started,” Cheyenne joked. Due to chronic back problems her father, Earl Woods Jr., tracks Cheyenne’s results online and receives a shot by shot analysis when she calls. She attributes much of her success to the support of her parents, but it was her grandfather, the late Earl Woods Sr. who carefully nurtured her development from Cypress, CA while Cheyenne resided in Phoenix, AZ. “We were really close,” the rising star reminisced.

It was on visits to her grandfather’s house that Cheyenne learned the fundamentals of the game. “He always told me to have fun with it [golf] no matter what. To not get too caught up in it all and to stay focused on what is important to me,” she said. Earl Woods Sr. immediately recognized her potential and curiosity for the game after a 3-year-old Cheyenne attempted to swing her uncle’s club—although it was three times her size. In the same garage where Earl molded Tiger, he fueled the spark in his granddaughter’s eyes. “He was really important in my life because he knew so much, not only about golf, but about life in general. He always had good life lessons to teach.”

Like her uncle Tiger, Cheyenne thrives on competition. It’s what made her fall in love with the game. While attending the prestigious Xavier College Preparatory High School Cheyenne’s teammates voted her the most valuable player three times. The four-time letterman dominated the Arizona circuit winning consecutive 5A State Championships in 2006 and 2007. “One of my most memorable moments was winning States for the first time,” she said. In her senior year the Arizona Republic crowned Cheyenne as the Arizona High School Golfer of the Year. After accumulating more than 30 amateur titles, college scouts nationwide speculated about where she would continue her academic career.
She decided to attend Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, NC, alma mater of golf legends Arnold Palmer and Curtis Strange. “Wake had everything that I was really looking for. It had the competitiveness, the academics and it’s a small campus,” she said. The 18-year-old Woods began to channel her tenacity to help her team contend in the Atlantic Coastal Conference. Cheyenne made the starting line-up for her collegiate debut at this year’s NCAA Fall Preview in Maryland. She finished tied for 26th, posting a respectable 75-76-74 (225). And it was also here that the freshman exemplified her strength off the course. 

Wake Forest University Women’s Golf Coach of 20 years, Dianne Dailey, remembered, “We didn’t play particularly well and some of the girls were getting down on themselves. I was a little disappointed in their performance and Cheyenne said ‘But at least we know we can do it!’ That’s what they took away from it, she brings people together.” In October the 9th ranked Lady Deacons took home its first win of the season at the Lady Tar Heel Invitational in Chapel Hill, NC. Later that month Cheyenne held the lead going into the final round of The Landfall Tradition. She tied a season low of 71 in the second round, but faltered in the last day to finish tied for 6th.  

Following the legacy of her uncle Tiger has not been easy. Growing up playing junior golf it was difficult for Cheyenne to resist the pressure that comes with her last name. “I felt as if people expected me to play or place a certain way,” she recalled. “I had to learn to deal with it, block it out and play my own game. When I’m on the course, I’m not thinking about everything that surrounds me.” Sound familiar? It’s Cheyenne’s unyielding focus and relaxed composure that make it difficult for onlookers to avoid comparisons to her uncle. Although she admitted, “He’s a little bit more intense.”

Golf is at the core of her world, but she maintains a center of gravity by playing various sports, hiking and camping. For the most part you can find the freshman banging 250-yard drives on the range while listening to her favorite artist, Lil’ Wayne. Don’t be fooled by the heartening smile and those warm almond-shaped eyes, this young golfer is on the prowl to conquer her next domain—the LPGA Tour.