The key shaper in the respective careers of global superstar Tiger Woods and genial journeywoman Cheyenne Woods was the late Earl Dennison Woods, Sr. The Green Beret colonel’s role as father, mentor and motivator to Tiger is well documented, but what is less well-known is how much of an inspiration he was to his granddaughter Cheyenne.
Brought up with two older brothers in Phoenix, AZ, Cheyenne spent a tomboyish childhood honing a variety of athletic skills, from dance and track & field to volleyball. Growing up, Cheyenne paid frequent visits to the California home of her grandfather right up to his death in 2006, when she was 15. “I was only on the course with my grandfather maybe a handful of times,” she says. “Neither of my parents played golf, we didn’t know anything about it. At first my mum and I didn’t even know what a driving range was, so we’d just go to the local park and his balls in the grass. But my grandfather was the one who guided me through junior golf and told me what events to play in.”
As for Tiger, while she was growing up she mainly saw him at Scottsdale when he played in the Phoenix Open. Her clearest memory dates from 1997, shortly before he won the first of his 15 Majors, when he holed in one at the 16th in front of the loudest gallery on Tour. “During the week of that tournament, we’d go and ee my grandfather and Tiger, say ‘Hi!’ and spend a bit of time with them. I was there for his hole-in-one-that was huge.” Now 31, she plies her trade on the Symetra tour while her once all-conquering uncle continues his recovery from a serious auto accident in February.
