\"Now people can say I’m not just a surname,” said Cheyenne Woods – 23 years old and Tiger Woods’ niece (daughter of the world number one’s half-brother) – after winning the first major title of her career as a professional golfer, the Australian Ladies Masters, a Ladies European Tour event held at Royal Pines Resort Gold Coast in Queensland.

The victory served to provide Cheyenne with her own identity, after spending her entire, albeit still short, career linked by family to the sport’s leading male golfer.

Cheyenne closed with a four-under 69 at RACV Royal Pines Resort in Queensland\'s Gold Coast to finish at 16-under 276. Australian amateur Minjee Lee, 17, also shot 69 to end two strokes back in solo second place on 14-under-par. It\'s the best result in Woods\' two-year professional career, with the interest in the niece of superstar Tiger Woods resulting in the American Golf Channel taking the final two hours of the broadcast live into the United States. Woods was absolutely elated with her win: \"This is a huge accomplishment for me.\"

\"The Ladies European Tour has been great to be able to play this last year, I\'ve been able to see all of these great players, play with Solheim Cup members, so I\'ve learned so much from all of these girls and to be able to come out here and actually compete with them and come out on top was huge for me.\"

Encouraging words from her coach before she left for Australia boosted her confidence. \"All off season I was just getting ready with my coach back home and he told me he thinks that this is my year, my time to finally get a win and to have it this early in the season is exciting, especially with European Tour and then here in Australia. I\'m just really proud with how I played this week and followed through all four days and finished strong.\"

Woods turned professional in 2012 after an All-America career at Wake Forest and her only previous pro victory came in 2012 in a SunCoast mini-tour event. In December, she missed the cut in the LPGA Tour\'s qualifying tournament in a failed bid to earn a spot on the circuit.

\'\'I\'ve been pro for two years and, for the majority of it, people just think of me as Tiger Woods\" niece, so now I have a game of my own and I have a title now, a win, which is exciting,\'\' she said. \'\'It\'s nice now to say to people that I can play and I\'m not just a name. Growing up with the last name of Woods, there\'s a lot of expectations and pressure and spotlight on you but I always knew that I was able to win. I always knew I\'d be able to compete with these ladies, so now it\'s kind of a weight off my shoulders because now everybody knows not just me.\'\'

Woods earned $51,000 and a twoyear exemption on the Ladies European Tour.

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