PITTSFORD, N.Y. - In his pro debut in the 1996 Greater Milwaukee Open, Tiger Woods fired a 4-under-par 67 and eventually finished in a tie for 60th.

On Friday, his niece started our well in her pro debut but ran into trouble on the back nine and finished with a 3-over-par 75 in the first round of the Wegmans LPGA Championship, the tour's second major of the season.

Cheyenne Woods, 21, who turned pro three weeks ago after graduating from Wake Forest, where she was a two-time All-American, hit her first shot as a pro at 8:11 a.m. at Locust Hill Country Club.

"I was really excited going into today. I've be waiting and waiting and waiting for this day," Woods said Thursday. "I was very nervous with my first tee shot but I was so glad to be out there.

" … I was pretty happy with how I played today," she said. "There were a few blips here and there, but I had a good day."

On a sun-drenched day just south of Lake Ontario, Woods, who received a text message from Uncle Tiger Wednesday night, recorded her first birdie as a pro on the par-3 fifth hole and also made birdie at the par-3 ninth.

Her birdies offset bogeys at 2 and 6 and she made the turn even par. But then she had back-to-back bogeys at 12 and 13. Her worst hole, however, came on the par-4 16th when she missed the green with her approach, pitched over the green, left a chip short and then two-putted for double bogey.

Woods bounced back with a birdie from 4 feet on the 17th and then saved par on the final hole when, after laying up following a pulled drive, she knocked her third from 100 yards to 1 foot.

"It's a little intimidating to get out here with the Yani Tsengs and the Paula Creamers, but I just have to go have fun and do my best," Woods said. "I should feel more comfortable (Friday) with a round under my belt and going around this course.

" … And (Tiger) has been very supportive and told me to trust my abilities, have fun and be patient."

Woods will most likely play next in the U.S. Women's Open at Blackwolf Run in Kohler, Wis., July 5-8. Woods qualified for the national championship by posting rounds of 74-72 on May 31 to take co-medalist honors in the two-day qualifier at Carolina Trace Country Club in Sanford, N.C.