Wooz's nephew Shaiyen "Passed US Women's Open Qualifier in 1st Place"

Leading by 5 Strokes in Regional Qualifier, Overcoming Nightmare of Two Penalties for 'Ogu Play' in Round 1

[Asia Economy Reporter No Woo-rae] Shyann, the niece of 'Golf Emperor' Tiger Woods (both from the United States, photo), passed the US Women's Open qualifying round of the LPGA Tour in first place.

On the 11th (Korean time), she scored 3 under par in the second round of the regional qualifier held at Spring Lake, New Jersey (par 72), securing first place by 5 strokes (2 under par, 142 strokes). She earned a spot to compete in the 76th US Women's Open, which will be held on June 4th at the Olympic Golf Course in San Francisco, California. She exclaimed, "Since my LPGA Tour card is conditional, I haven't been able to participate in many tournaments. I'm very grateful to have earned a spot in the US Women's Open."

She also experienced some adversity on the 7th hole (par 4) of the first round, receiving a two-stroke penalty. She hit a ball that had landed in the rough near the bunker in front of the green, thinking it was hers, but later found out it was her playing partner's ball. She was penalized two strokes for a 'wrong ball play' and recorded a double bogey on that hole. Her first-round score was 1 over par, 73 strokes. She explained, "Honestly, I was angry about the penalty, but it woke me up. I was able to focus on my game."

Shyann's father is Tiger Woods' half-brother. Although she became famous as 'Tiger Woods' niece,' she had not achieved notable results except for winning the 2014 Volvik Ladies Masters on the Ladies European Tour (LET). This season, she has mainly been playing on the LPGA Symetra (second-tier) Tour. Shyann is currently dating Aaron Hicks, an outfielder for the Major League Baseball New York Yankees (USA). She also works as a course commentator for the Golf Channel.