Cheyenne Woods, Tiger Woods’ Niece, Leads Australian Golf Tournament

Update: Cheyenne Woods won the Australian golf tournament, shooting a 4-under 69 in the final round on Sunday. She finshed with a 16-under 276 overall for her first major professional tour victory. Minjee Lee finished in second place, two strokes back.

Cheyenne Woods has a one-stroke lead in the Australian Ladies Masters tournament going into tomorrow’s final round.

Cheyenne Woods, 23, the niece of Tiger Woods, has a three-round total of 12-under for the tournament. Stacy Lee Bregman from South Africa is in second place.

Said Woods about her performance so far: “I’m proud with how I was able to fight through today. Tomorrow’s just going to be another day to get through. It would be a huge accomplishment (to win). Playing well this week, I’m already happy with how it’s been going but to have that win would just be the cherry on top. Especially to start out my year.”

Cheyenne is the daughter of Earl Dennison Woods, Jr., Tiger Woods’ half brother. She is a graduate of Wake Forest University where she starred on the golf team. Overall she has won more than 30 amateur tournaments and turned pro after graduating from Wake. She made her professional debut at the LPGA Championship in June 2012 and won her first professional tournament, the SunCoast Ladies Series, in August 2012.

Golf obviously runs in the Woods family, and that she and Tiger took up golf at about the same age. “I have been playing golf since I was 5 years old, so for me, playing golf with the last name of Woods is nothing new,” Cheyenne Woods said. “It’s just now it’s on a bigger stage. I have a lot more media attention, here and there, but for me I’m still playing the same golf that I have been playing my whole life. I go out there with the same mindset.”

Cheyenne Woods added that she talked to her uncle Tiger a few months ago, and that they are in contact from time to time.