PITTSFORD, N.Y. — When the name Woods moves up leader boards, rapt attention always follows. This week, a Woods most golf fans don’t know — Cheyenne — hopes to make her presence felt after accepting a sponsor’s exemption into the Wegmans L.P.G.A. Championship.

Cheyenne Woods, 21, is the niece of Tiger Woods. She will be making her professional debut Thursday when the tournament, the second major of the year in women’s golf, opens at Locust Hill Country Club. Woods turned pro three weeks ago after graduating from Wake Forest, where she was a two-time all-American and a three-time all-Atlantic Coast Conference golfer.

“This is my first event as a professional, and I couldn’t have asked for a better way to start off my career,” she said. “I’m excited about the opportunity and happy to be back in Rochester.”

Woods was invited to play in the tournament as an amateur two years ago, before the event was designated a major championship. She accepted the sponsor’s exemption when Melissa Reid, a member of the European tour, withdrew after her mother died in an automobile crash. Woods had a week to prepare for this event.