Finally, a reporter was able to crack Tiger Woods’ steely demeanor at a press conference: his niece Cheyenne Woods.
Cheyenne is a professional golfer, but she’s covering the Open as a journalist for the Back9Network this week. She was in the media center for her uncle's press conference at Merion on Tuesday and when she asked Tiger a question, his usual game face broke into the widest, most natural smile we’ve seen from him in a long time [photo, right].
CHEYENNE WOODS: The U.S. Open is usually one of the most grueling weeks of golf. So what would you do off the course in order to be at ease and relax? (Laughter.)
TIGER WOODS: Didn't expect that. Well, off the course, we have a great crew at the house and we're going to have fun. Tomorrow, make sure you're is it 6:30 dinner? Is that all right? Okay. Perfect. So just relax and have a good time and get away from it and when it's time to play, it's time to play. But overall we're just going to get away from it and not really watch any golf. When it's time for me to get ready, I'll get ready.
Here’s video from Back9Network of Cheyenne at the press conference here (the Tiger exchange starts at the 1:10 mark:
Just woke up this morning to see that Stanford beat USC for the fourth year in a row!! Best wake up call ever! #treesovertrojans #4inarow# treesovertrojans #4inarow
Turns out Tiger isn't the only Woods who likes to go low early in the week. His niece, Cheyenne, fired a 69 on Thursday in a Suncoast Ladies Series event -- lucky for her, it was the last round.
Woods, 22, finished the 54-hole tournament at six under, beating runner-up Taylore Karle by four to claim her first professional win, according to The Golf Channel's Will Gray.
This Woods, who graduated from Wake Forest in May, made her first start as a pro at the LPGA Championship earlier this summer.
Uncle Tiger took notice, too, making sure his many followers knew all about her success on Twitter:
Congrats to my niece Cheyenne on winning her first professional event on SunCoast Ladies Series Tour! Won by 4, very proud.
On the 50th anniversary of Jack Nicklaus's first U.S. Open title at Oakmont, he sat down with Rory McIlroy, a year off his own win at Congressional, for a 10-minute interview with CNN during last week's Memorial.
Rory's reverence for Jack isn't all that surprising, but Jack's grandfatherish affection for Rory will probably make most golf fans feel a little warm-and-fuzzy. The two talked about their relationship, about learning from losses (and wins), about Tiger Woods, and about Rory's decision to play this week in Memphis instead of heading out to Olympic for a few extra passes at the Open track. Some highlights:
Jack on Rory in Majors:
He's got the monkey off his back right now. Now he can go play golf...The next one will come when its ready to come. And when they do, they might start coming [quickly]. I may start worrying about him instead of Tiger [laughs].
On Rory playing in Memphis:
Nicklaus: Did you play before the Open last year?
McIlroy: No
Nicklaus: And you're gonna play this year?
McIlroy: Yes.
Niclaus: I keep my mouth shut...And you're not gonna see Olympic until you get there?
McIlroy: Until Monday.
Nicklaus: OK...
Jack on Olympic:
I think Olympic takes a little knowing. I wish [McIlroy would] go out and practice, frankly. But it's his call.
(Note: After the interview with Jack -- and missing the cut in his tournament -- that's exactly what McIlroy did. When the best-ever offers you advice...)
Check out the full interview below.
Mercedes-Benz Roadster outraces golf ball The Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Roadster may not be the most practical way to shuttle to and from the course. There's not much of a trunk, and it's sure to be gored by those positively alpine parking lot speed bumps. Oh, and it starts somewhere around $200,000. But, according to the Washington Post, it may well be the world's fastest golf cart:
Coulthard, who was driving the 571-horsepower SLS AMG Roadster at 120 mph, caught a golf ball struck by professional golfer Jake Shepherd 900 feet away. The speed of the golf ball flying through the air was clocked at up to 178 mph during its trajectory. This amazing achievement, which took place on May 30 at an airport in Surrey, England, secured the world record for the farthest golf shot caught in a moving car in only the second attempt of the day.
Let's be honest. Attempting the world record for "farthest golf shot caught in a moving car" is just an excuse to drive a Mercedes you can't afford, or to hit a golf ball at one. But chasing down one of your patented flailing slices before it dives OB? Sigh. Someday...
Tiger's advice to niece Cheyenne: Just kick butt Tiger Woods will never be confused with Ann Landers, but the man does give good advice. And, according to niece Cheyenne Woods, it's always the same. The Golf Channel has the details:
Cheyenne Woods doesn’t need to call her famous uncle for advice as she prepares to make her professional debut this week.
She knows what Tiger would tell her before teeing it up on a sponsor’s invite at the Wegmans LPGA Championship.
“[Tiger] is always telling me just to kick butt,” Cheyenne said Tuesday at Locust Hill Country Club. “Tiger is always dominating, so that is one word of advice he would give me.”
Of course, that seems to be a lot easier for golfers named Woods. Cheyenne, who graduated two weeks ago from Wake Forest, makes her pro debut Thursday at the Wegmans LPGA Championship. We'll see what she does with Tiger's wisdom.
Steve DiMeglio of USA Today suggests that fans taking pictures on cell phones might have caused Phil Mickleson's withdrawal from the Memorial after a first-round 79.
With a huge gallery following the marquee matchup of Watson, Mickelson and Rickie Fowler, Watson believes the continual distraction of fans with cell phones may have played a role in Mickelson's withdrawal.
"It took Phil out of his game," Watson said of the continual clicks and snaps of cell phone-camera shutters. "Phil's a great player and a great champion and it just took him out of his game. It's sad. It's sad that cell phones can make or break a championship."
Mickelson made the turn at 1 over before struggling. Fowler shot a 71 and Watson, who won the Masters last month, had a 75.
"There were a few phones out there," Fowler said with a laugh. "There were a few times when we had to back off and reset. You could see Phil was a little fatigued and was having trouble blocking it out a bit."
Somewhere Tiger Woods is thinking, "Welcome to my world."
Cheyenne Woods qualifies for U.S. Open
Tiger's first-round 70 at the Memorial wasn't the only good news for the Woods family on Thursday. Cheyenne Woods, Tiger's niece, also qualified for the U.S. Women's Open. Yahoo Sports' Jonathan Wall has the details:
Woods, who turned pro earlier this year after playing four years of golf at Wake Forest University, where she won the 2011 ACC Championship, is already making her mark, after she qualified for the U.S. Women's Open at Blackwolf Run on Thursday.
The 21-year-old posted rounds of 74-72 to take co-medalist honors in the two-day qualifier at Carolina Trace Country Club. While there will certainly be some butterflies when she tees it up in her first U.S. Women's Open as a pro, she should feel at ease knowing it won't be her first start on golf's biggest stage. Woods will actually make her pro debut next week after receiving a sponsor's exemption to the Wegmans LPGA Championship.
I.K. Kim says missed 1-foot putt at Dinah was 'a good lesson'
Time heals all wounds, even a missed 12-inch putt.
That's the takeaway from Philadelphia Inquirer reporter Joe Juliano's interview with I.K. Kim at the ShopRite LPGA Classic near Atlantic City this week. (Kim missed a putt from 12-inches to win the Kraft Nabisco Championship -- formerly known as the Dinah Shore -- in April, and lost in a playoff)
"A lot of people got shocked by the putt more than I did, I think," Kim said Thursday after completing her Pro-Am round in the ShopRite LPGA Classic. "They were more worried about me, how I was going to [react] after.
"But what has happened has happened for me. I just have to learn from it. I have so many good people around me who support me and keep my mind in the right position. I'm really enjoying playing golf. This is what I love to do. Sometimes golf is life. It's a good lesson, I think."
Kim admits she still finds it hard to believe that she missed the putt. She said it serves as a reminder that "you've got to take care of everything" and "you have to give your best" on every shot.
And, yes, "Things happen," she said.
Yup, things certainly do.
Tweet of the Day
On Golf Channel, @Graeme_McDowell says cell phones should NOT be banned. Says fans are there a long time, likes interactivity phones allow.
Tiger Woods's niece received an exemption to next week's Wegmans LPGA Championship in Pittsford, N.Y., and John Dell of the Winston-Salem Journal says Woods has the game to compete.
Woods had an outstanding career at Wake Forest, winning twice and setting the school record for lowest career scoring average of 73.71. Last season she averaged 73.69, the fourth best in school history.
She played in the Wegmans in 2009 but missed the cut as an amateur. But her former coach at Wake Forest, Dianne Dailey, said Woods impressed everybody with how she carried herself.
"She missed the cut by one shot, but it was what she did off the course that impressed the folks running the tournament," Dailey said. "She put on a clinic, visited a hospital and was gracious with her time while she was there. I had one of the organizers call me afterward, and she told me Cheyenne was great to work with and was so cooperative."
Cheyenne's famous uncle will also be tuning in.
"It's exciting to see her grow and mature, and I'm just proud of her, and to see her embark on a professional career in golf is very exciting to me," Tiger Woods said, "not only from being her uncle but as a fan."
Member rips club for nude golf, other shenanigans Piedmont Driving Club member John C. Weitnauer is not happy with some of the recent ... "activities" at his club, and decided to write a letter to the club president about it. Somehow, the letter fell into Deadspin's hands, and the rest is history. Here's how the letter begins:
Dear John:
I have heard that, during and after the latest member/member golf tournament, a great deal of — to put it mildly — inappropriate behavior occurred.
I have heard the following:
• several members decided to play several holes with no shirts. I am sure that this is contrary to the rules of the golf course. Had this been the only infraction of good manners that apparently occurred at the tournament, I would not be writing this letter.
• one member decided to play the 14th hole completely naked. I have not researched it, but I suspect this is a crime in Georgia.
• several members urinated on one of the greens, in the presence of the caddie, a female, and one or more of the members deliberately exposed themselves to her while urinating. I suspect that this is also a crime in Georgia.
Believe it or not, the letter actually gets worse from there. You have to read it to believe it.
Video of the Day In case you missed it, Jack Nicklaus got a little choked up introducing his friend and formal rival Tom Watson on Wednesday at the Memorial.
While we'll have to wait a few years for the pro debuts of Sam and Charlie Woods, another Woods will be making her first professional start this week at the Wegmans LPGA. Tiger's 18-year-old niece, Cheyenne, a freshman at Wake Forest, received a sponsor's exemption and will tee it up with a field that includes Michelle Wie, Paula Creamer and Natalie Gulbis.
"There is the expectation of 'Woods,'" the 18-year-old said. "I've grown up with it. I'm used
to having the title and seeing the headlines read 'Tiger Woods' niece.' But I also want to
make a name for myself."
It explains why her teammates don't hear the soft-spoken freshman even whisper the name of her
uncle, even though her facial features, fist pump and golf swing all scream Tiger Woods.
Cheyenne is the daughter of Earl Woods Jr., who is the son of Tiger's father from a previous marriage. She decided on a career in golf after seeing her uncle win the Masters by 12 strokes in 1997. While Cheyenne didn't have as stellar an amateur career as Tiger, she was chosen the 2007 Arizona High School Golfer of the Year by the Arizona Republic, and at Wake Forest she qualified for every tournament as a freshman.
