Tiger Woods and his niece Cheyenne are moving in opposite directions

Tiger Woods, thanks to his on-course struggles that led to his voluntary benching for the indefinite future, continues to plummet down the world golf rankings while his niece, Cheyenne Woods, is making her way up in the world.

The Phoenix native did not win last week’s LPGA event in her hometown but Cheyenne Woods’ Top-25 finish at the JTBC Founders Cup was the tour rookie’s best finish since earning playing privileges in December. A final-round 2-under 70 on Sunday was good enough for a T24 and a 22-point leap from No. 230 in the Rolex Rankings to No. 208.

Not exactly Tiger of yore territory, though if things keep going the way they are, the two Woods may meet each other somewhere in the middle.

Woods finished 10 shots back of winner Hyo Joo Kim, who outlasted Stacy Lewis for the Founders Cup title. World No. 1 Lydia Ko tied for sixth.

“It’s great to play well this week, especially with this being a home tournament for me,” Woods said. “Being born and raised here, I have a lot of friends and family to watch. It’s been a fun week and I’m really happy with how I’ve played, so it’s been great.”

An eagle on the par-5 15th hole at Wildfire Golf Club on Sunday certainly helped Woods get to 11-under for the week. The 24-year-old Wake Forest graduate hit a 3-wood from some 215 yards to 20 feet and sank the putt for a three.

With the women warming up for their first major of the season, the ANA Inspiration (formerly the Dinah Shore and Kraft Nabisco) starting on April 2, Sunday’s result came at a good time for Woods.

“Kind of helps build that confidence,” she said.

Confidence-building was precisely what the host of last week’s PGA Tour event prescribed for the Woods who remains on the sidelines.

“There’s only one thing I can say, and that’s practice and confidence,” Arnold Palmer said ahead of his namesake Invitational event at Bay Hill about how Tiger can reclaim his championship form. “Regain the confidence he had when he was starting out. That was what made him what he is, and that’s the way he’ll get it back, just regain the confidence and ability to hit the golf ball.”

Cheyenne will tee it up in Carlsbad, Calif., this week at the Kia Classic. With the Masters looming and sparse mention of the eight-time API winner during last week’s telecast from Bay Hill, though, the where and when of Uncle Eldrick’s next competitive start remains a mystery to those outside — and perhaps within the guarded confines — of Camp Tiger.