Woods ready for U.S. Women's Open

• By Randall Mell
• Jul 4, 2012 12:14 PM ET

KOHLER, Wis. – Cheyenne Woods will tee it up at Blackwolf Run this week after qualifying for the first time to play in the U.S. Women’s Open.

Woods, niece to Tiger Woods, shares more than a name and a strikingly similar smile with her famous uncle. She shares early tutoring stories. Earl Woods, Tiger’s father, Cheyenne’s grandfather, also got Cheyenne started. She was 2 when she first picked up a golf club in her grandfather’s garage, the same garage where Tiger got his start.

Asked what she got most from Earl Woods, Cheyenne said: “Confidence. He really believed in me and really supported me.”

Cheyenne, 21, says Tiger also inspired her.

“Watching Tiger play as I grew up, I knew I wanted to get out there one day,” Cheyenne said.

Cheyenne, who just graduated from Wake Forest, was 2 years old the first time she watched Tiger play. He was playing the L.A. Open as an amateur on a sponsor’s invite.

“I don’t remember it, but I was there in a stroller,” she said.

Cheyenne turned pro last month before the Wegmans LPGA Championship, where she played on a sponsor’s invite. She shot 75-79 on a tough setup at Locust Hill but called her first professional experience valuable in what she learned. She says Tiger has been extremely supportive.

Asked about inevitable comparisons with Tiger, Cheyenne said: "I've always said, I'm on my own path. Not everybody can be Tiger Woods."