Even during your best run, you can never anticipate what the fairways have in store for you. Unless you’re a Tiger Woods or Scottie Scheffler, it’s nearly impossible to get a positive result when you’re underperforming. And you’re under even more pressure to perform if you are related to the Big Cat himself. Just ask Cheyenne Woods, who talked about her anxiety on the course.

She was the guest on the first episode of Real Game, where she said, “It was embarrassing. I developed a really severe performance anxiety that came out in the form of yips. It’s another four-letter word that we’re not supposed to say.”

Yips is a common nervous system disorder that is found in athletes, especially those who play golf, basketball, and baseball. It leads to involuntary muscle spasms that force the body to lose fine motor control. Woods also explained how it particularly affected her game.

“You have no control over your nervous system. You’re shaking. I remember, I couldn’t feel the club in my hands. I could see it shaking as I was putting. I would be marking a six-inch putt because I don’t trust myself to tap it in. I would miss it. I would not hit the hole.”

Woods made her debut on the LPGA Tour as an official member at the age of 25 in 2015. But she spent enough time on the fairway to claim a title. She often struggled to perform consistently. As Woods revealed, her biggest issues were on the green. That proved to be detrimental in her career.

Her career average on par-3 was higher than 3 strokes at 3.09. The same was the case for par-4 holes, with an average of 4.12. In fact, the only part of her game that was advantageous for her was her driving. She was relatively accurate off the tee, finding the fairway 76.01 % of the times throughout her career.

That said, her nerves weren’t the only issues that hindered her game during her LPGA Tour career.

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Tiger Woods’ niece’s biggest struggles in the LPGA Tour

Lack of success forces one to push oneself harder. Especially when they are under the shadow of someone as great as Tiger Woods. Whatever the reason may be, Cheyenne Woods certainly suffered because of them during her professional career.

She faced an injury after being involved in a car accident in 2016. Moreover, the mental and physical grind of competing on the LPGA Tour also got to her. That often reflected in her gameplay.

With her nerves also acting up, things only got worse every day she competed on the Tour. So it didn’t come as a surprise that she retired in 2021, only five years after receiving her LPGA Tour membership. Since then, Cheyenne Woods hasn’t competed in a professional event. She has shifted her focus to her family instead.