Cheyenne Knight recently spoke about an unimaginable personal loss she experienced during her childhood that changed her outlook entirely and almost terminated her competitive golf career before it even started.

During a media day press conference for the ShopRite LPGA Classic, the 29-year-old Texas native bravely revisited the painful memory of the sudden accident that completely shattered her family back in 2008, when she was just 12 years old.

"Grew up with my brother(Brandon Burgett), and unfortunately, in 2008, he got hit by a drunk driver and passed away… I think just it's kind of hard to keep going after something like that," she recalled.

The tragic event brought huge grief and considerable self-doubt during her college years at the University of Alabama, where she seriously questioned her ability to play golf professionally.

However, Knight ultimately channeled her profound sorrow into motivation, persevering on the golf course to honor her late brother's legacy and secure her first breakthrough victory on the LPGA Tour at the Volunteers of America Classic in 2019.

"The final round, I shot 33 on the front nine and 33 on the back nine, and that was my brother's football jersey number. It was definitely, you know, he was there watching over me."

The victory marked a pivotal turning point, as Knight transformed her grief into faith and spirituality, viewing the moment as both a professional breakthrough and a deeply personal connection to her brother's memory.

Honoring a Divine Legacy on the LPGA Tour 

The golfer strongly believes that divine intervention played an important part on that particular day, so she decided to mark all her tournament balls and golf bags with the number 33 from then on.

"There was a lot of -- I'm a Christian. I believe in God, and there was divine intervention. He was definitely with me there on that day," the golfer mentioned.

Currently on maternity leave after welcoming her son, Cooper, the dedicated Team ShopRite ambassador is steadily focusing on structured gym workouts to rebuild her physical strength for the future.

While she may not be playing in any tournaments this season, she plans on returning to the full-fledged tour by 2027 and wants to succeed as a mother golfer.

"My number one job is being a mom, and golf will kind of come second. But I'm really excited for the challenge of that, and, you know, to say that I did play and hopefully win as a mom."

With her persistence and her brother's memory guiding every step, fans now wait to see if this maternal strength will fuel a triumphant comeback in 2027.

Read more at Club Golf!

Written by

Abhishek Sharma

Edited by

Pulkit Prabhav