Happy mother's Day From Dakoda Dowd

The LPGA DESERVES a standing O for its recent act of kindness.

The governing body of professional women's golf is allowing 13-year-old Dakoda Dowd to play in the Ginn Open near Orlando from April 27-30.

That a 13-year-old is playing is not news - Michelle Wie has seen to that.

No, what makes Dakoda Dowd's entry into the tournament so special is the reason behind it.

Her mother, Kelly Jo Dowd, is suffering from terminal cancer and doesn't have long to live.

Kelly Jo Dowd - whose daughter has won numerous amateur events - has one wish: to see Dakoda Dowd play with the best in the world. And, thanks to the LPGA, she'll get it.

"It will mean everything to me," said Kelly Jo Dowd. "It's obviously a dream come true."

As for Dakoda Dowd... she's got a couple of wishes of her own.

"The only thing I really, really want is for my mom to be better," Dakoda said. "And my own room."

From Dakoda Dowd's Golf, An Ill Mother's Dream Is Realized

Dakoda Dowd wants to live in a New York apartment when she heads to college in five years. She'll be a bass guitar player by then. Maybe even a champion figure skater, too.

Barring a miracle, Dakoda's cancer-ridden mother won't be around to see her daughter - one of the country's top golfers her age - realize any of those dreams. But mother and daughter will get to share another one real soon.

"This isn't about golf,'' Dakoda Dowd says. "This is about my mom, and her getting to see me play.''

Kelly Jo Dowd's wish - perhaps her dying one - is to see her little girl compete against the world's best. So Dakoda Dowd, a winner of countless junior events, will tee it up in the LPGA's Ginn Open near Orlando on April 27-30, after the Ginn Resorts heard of the family's plight and extended the invitation.

"It will mean everything to me,'' says Kelly Jo Dowd, who is fighting cancer for the second time in four years. "It's obviously a dream come true. There's no other way to put it. I'm going to take that day as one of the most special days in my whole entire life. This is a chance for me to do what I want to do.''

What she wants to do is this: Let women know she has terminal bone and liver cancer -and, realistically, only months to live - because she didn't heed the warning signs. She ignored a lump and waited months to get checked.

And through Dakoda Dowd's golf, the family hopes to get that message out to the masses, in part from the hubbub generated by the girl's appearance in the LPGA event.

But this is no publicity stunt. She can play.

"She's got talent,'' says Annika Sorenstam, one of Dakoda's idols and the women's top-ranked player who met her earlier this month and watched her swing. "She can really hit the ball. She's got a great head on her shoulders. She's really strong and her attitude is really something great.''

The story really begins about five years ago.

Dakoda Dowd was 8 and already earning national acclaim for her golf potential, becoming the subject of magazine articles that are framed and displayed in the living room of the family's tiny condo in a Tampa suburb.

It was December 2001, and Kelly Jo - a former Hooters calendar cover girl who worked her way out of the orange waitress shorts and into the company's management team - noticed a lump in her breast.

She was 36 years old. Ten months later, she was diagnosed with breast cancer.

"I'm not supposed to get this disease,'' Kelly Jo says. "I'm not obese. I don't smoke. I drink, but not nearly like I used to. There wasn't breast cancer in my family. I'm not a statistic. But I got it.''

So she fought it. Double mastectomy. Nearly two dozen lymph nodes removed. Intense chemotherapy. Every hair on her body fell out, her skin lost its glow and she felt nothing like the head-turner she once was.

"There's something that keeps me young at heart and willing to fight,'' Kelly Jo says. "And that's Dakoda. She's why I keep fighting. In the beginning, I wasn't going to. And how stupid was that? It's embarrassing for me to admit that. Anyone who doesn't fight and fight with their all is stupid.''

The first fight seemed won - until last May, when doctors found the cancer was back and worse than ever, now in her hip bone, her liver and nearing her spine. This time, Kelly Jo Dowd vows to fight harder; she started another round of chemotherapy April 6.

"When we had the opportunity to give Dakoda an exemption, I really didn't think about it,'' says Bobby Ginn, the CEO of Ginn Clubs and Resorts. "The strength they have individually and collectively is just unbelievable. I don't know if I could stand up to the pressure they're feeling right now.''

Kelly Jo met Mike Dowd in the mid-1980s at the Hooters restaurant where she worked. They'd strike up the occasional conversation, and eventually started dating. Eleven weeks later, they were married, and 5 1/2 years after that, they had a daughter to whom they gave a unique name.

Mike had two older daughters from a previous marriage, both of whom have names that begin with 'K.' He wanted to keep that trend going, but Kelly Jo preferred the name "Dakota.'' Eventually, they agreed on "Dakoda,'' which Mike shortened to "Koda.''

"Got my 'K' in there,'' he says.

She started golfing at 4, and made her first birdie before she turned 7. She's shot 70 from the men's tees and would be in the mid-60s if she played from shorter ones, her father says. She hits her driver long and true, and is confident enough to have photographers stand 30 yards in front of her while she swings.

"I won't hit you,'' she calls out.

Sure enough, the photographer is unharmed, although Dakoda giggles when one ball whizzes a little closer to his head than he'd like.

"This family is almost like the perfect storm in this,'' says Hooters co-founder Ed Droste, whose chain has raised more than $56,000 for the Dowd family and their medical expenses. "Kelly Jo and Mike just want to tell it like it is for women. And Dakoda Dowd is the blend of these two great people. I just dread when it's down to being two of them, because the three of them together are so great.''

Golf, Dakoda says, is a release from the reality of her family's situation - even though the reminders are everywhere when she plays. There's a pink breast cancer ribbon embroidered on her bag, and her mother's initials "KJ'' are embossed in pink letters on her irons and putter cover.

Her father wears the initials, too. On his right wrist is a tattoo with the initials "KJD'' with two ribbons for his wife, and "DFD'' with a cross for his daughter. The 'F' stands for Flowie, Dakoda's middle name and the name of a sister Mike Dowd lost to ovarian cancer in 1991.

"I want it to be at the forefront of my life for the rest of my life,'' says Mike, a counselor in the Pinellas County school system. "This whole process has been one horrible thing and 100 great things. It's tragedy and triumph. Every day, people treat my wife the way God wanted us to all treat each other. How many of us get that opportunity?''

Now that they're down to one income, the family sold its home and moved into a 600-foot condo at the Westin Innisbrook resort, site of the PGA Tour's Chrysler Classic and where Hooters arranged for Dakoda - who sleeps in the living room - to play golf whenever she wants.

"The only thing I really, really want is for my mom to be better,'' Dakoda says. "And my own room.''

They are, by all accounts, a regular family. They eat at Whataburger, McDonald's and Olive Garden. They just have a girl who hits a golf ball better than most people, and a mother who's sicker than most.

With her dream about to come true, one of Kelly Jo's outlets these days is trying to raise money for groups such as MakingMemories.org, which grants wishes to people diagnosed with terminal breast cancer. She and Dakoda Dowd also schedule mother-daughter days, so both can get their shopping fix.

Most importantly, though, the family just wants to be together, for whatever time they have left.

"Anything special that Dakoda does that I'm able to be here to see is the next special thing for us,'' Kelly Jo says. "It could be a tournament she wins. A day of shopping. Going to a concert together. Whatever comes next is what's special. The bottom line is it'll be her and me together, at least a little while longer.''

This One's For Mom says Dakoda Dowd

Something very special was missing on a very special day for Dakoda Dowd.

The junior golfer was at Reunion Resort & Club, just west of Orlando, on Thursday to meet with the media and one of her heroes, LPGA Tour star Annika Sorenstam.

Dakoda Dowd was there alone.

The 13-year-old's mom, Kelly Jo Dowd, stayed at their Palm Harbor home because she had undergone surgery Wednesday to aid in the treatment of her terminal cancer.

There's no denying the bond between Dakoda Dowd and her mother. The youngster's golf bag does the talking for her.

Just under the embroidered pink ribbon patch symbolizing breast cancer research on the bag are the stitched words "Best Friends." And Dakoda's clubs are inscribed with the letters "KJ."

Dakoda "Koda" Dowd was at Reunion to meet the media and Sorenstam and to drum up publicity for the upcoming LPGA Tour Ginn Open the first LPGA Tour event played in Florida in five years -- on April 27-30. Dowd, an accomplished player who has won more than 185 junior tournaments, will play in the tournament on a sponsor's exemption.

It will give her mother a chance to fulfill one of her final wishes by seeing her daughter play in an LPGA event.

The breast cancer Kelly Jo Dowd thought she had beaten several years ago was discovered last May to have spread to her bones and liver. Kelly Jo receives treatments of radiation and chemotherapy, but the diagnosis is terminal.

As Dakoda Dowd waited on the driving range to meet Sorenstam, the extraordinary junior golfer exhibited characteristics of a typical teenager.

She embraced a guitar autographed by '80s rocker Huey Lewis that was given to her by event organizer Ryan Julison, who knew of Koda's musical hobby. Dowd would later have Sorenstam add her autograph to the guitar.

Getting a chance to spend time with Sorenstam was a little overwhelming for Dakoda Dowd.

"I've always admired her," Dowd said. "She's always so poised and has the best attitude. I want to be just like her. She's like a major celebrity to me. I'm anxious and excited. All of this has come really fast."

Sorenstam spent time giving Dowd tips on the driving range, but most of the tips related to life and not golf.

Dowd's nerves were obvious. She hit a few chili dips while she worked with her wedge shots. While changing clubs, she admitted to Julison, "I feel like I have a hole in my stomach."

Dowd said the biggest question she had for Sorenstam was how the LPGA's top player remained so calm after hitting a bad shot.

"I think the key is when you hit a bad shot, you have to forget about it as fast as possible," Sorenstam told the youngster. "Find the ball, and hit a new shot that will hopefully make up for it.

"You don't want a bad shot to drag you down the rest of the day. At the end of the day, a bad golf shot is not really going to change your life very much."

Dakoda Dowd said she's more excited than nervous to compete in the Ginn Open. She said she has a plan for dealing with nerves if she starts to feel intimidated while playing against women she has always admired.

"If I get nervous, I'm going to look over and see mom smiling," Dowd said. "That will take all the jitters away."

Sorenstam said Dowd should concern herself more with enjoying the experience than about the results.

"I think she's going to do great," Sorenstam said. "She just needs to play her game. I like her attitude. She's a neat little player with a lot of talent.

"To me, it's not just about results. It's about the learning experience and the journey she's just getting ready to begin."

Sorenstam said she thinks it's great the Ginn Open gave Dowd the exemption to fulfill her mom's dying wishes.

"(Koda) has such a strong mind," Sorenstam said. "This young lady is just not talented, she has such a good head on her shoulders. There are a lot of thoughts she'll be thinking about. I'm just glad we can make something great out of this. This is her dream. Hopefully she can show off to her mom."

Sorenstam is no stranger to dealing with off-course distractions. She has continued to play well despite going through a divorce over the last two years.

"It's tough," Sorenstam said. "I've had some personal issues the last two years. Luckily, when you do something you enjoy, it keeps your mind away from it.

"I think that's very important. Life goes on, and you have to make the most of it on the course and off the course."

Dakoda Dowd will undoubtedly heed that advice down the road. For now, the teenager will enjoy the opportunity to fulfill a dream that she and her best friend have shared before it's too late.

NHL: LIGHTNING: GOLF PRODIGY DAKODA DOWD TO DO ‘LET’S PLAY HOCKEY’

13-YEAR-OLD PALM HARBOR RESIDENT PREPARING TO PLAY IN LPGA’S GINN CLUBS & RESORTS OPEN APRIL 24-30

Dakoda (Koda) Dowd, a 13-year-old Palm Harbor resident who will soon become one of the youngest females to compete at an LPGA Tour event, will offer up the traditional “Let’s Play Hockey” prior to the Lightning’s game vs. the Atlanta Thrashers at the St. Pete Times Forum Tuesday night (7:30 p.m.; Sun Sports, AM 620 WDAE).

Dakoda Dowd, who has won more than 285 junior tournaments, will be part of the 144-player field participating in the Ginn Clubs & Resorts Open at Reunion Resort & Club,near Orlando, April 24-30, playing alongside the best professional ladies golfers in the world. Dakoda Dowd is the nation’s top-ranked female player in the 2011 graduating class. In 2005, as a sixth-grader, Dakoda was the No. 2 player on the golf team at Northside Christian High and helped the team win its first state title.
Go Dakoda, Go Bolts!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The Lightning, 42-31-5, have four games remaining in the 2005-06 season, including additional home dates with the Carolina Hurricanes (Saturday, April 15, 7:30 p.m.) and the Washington Capitals (Tuesday, April 18, 7:30 p.m.).

Dakoda Dowd, Ginn Clubs Open Make Their Professional Debuts

Here's your chance to witness not just the birth of a new golf tournament but also the professional emergence of what just might be the next great female golfer. And pay tribute to someone living with breast cancer at the same time.

The inaugural Ginn Clubs & Resorts Open is set to tee off at the Reunion Resort & Club near Orlando. Although top female golfers such as Annika Sorenstam and Paula Creamer will vie for the trophy, many eyes will be on 12-year-old Dakoda Dowd viewed by many as the next female golfing phenom. Playing in her first professional tournament, Dowd has already won more than 185 junior tournaments.

However, the one victory she'd like to pull off -- rescuing her mother from cancer -- appears unattainable. The cancer has spread to her mother's liver and bones. Seeing her daughter compete in an LPGA event is one of her mother's last wishes -- therefore the LPGA granted an exemption allowing the underage but exceptionally talented younger Dowd to compete. The first Ginn Clubs & Resorts Open is Apr. 27-30 in Reunion, Florida.

Tips On Golf -- And Life -- From A Pro For Dakoda Dowd

Reunion, Florida -- What a week for Dakoda Dowd! Not only did she turn 13 April 3rd, she received a fancy guitar as a gift, and she's also getting one-on-one time with her role model, Annika Sorenstam.

Dakoda Dowd, 13-year-old golfer:
“I like her poise, so graceful. She has the best attitude, even when it's not a good shot. ”
Annika watched Dakoda hit a few balls, gave her some golf tips, and some advice about life.

Annika Sorenstam, 8-time Player of the Year:“This is a game, really, I take it seriously. My life is surrounded by the game, but at the end of the day, have fun. One golf shot is not going to change your life.”
Dakoda's mother is battling cancer. She's been through several rounds of chemotherapy, and the cancer has spread to her bone and liver. One of her final wishes is to see her daughter play in the LPGA tour.

And with a special exemption, Dakoda will have a chance to play in the Ginn Clubs and Resorts Open April 24th - 30th. Although all of the media attention can be a little overwhelming, Dakoda says having her mom there will make a difference.

Dakoda Dowd, 13-year-old golfer
“I'm going to look at her (on the sidelines) see her smile, and that will take the jitters away.” See Dakoda Dowd In April.

Great Drive, Heartbreaking Motivation For Dakoda Dowd

If all you knew about Dakoda Dowd was that she's a 12-year-old golf phenomenon with a killer 240-yard drive, that she stalks the green with ice in her veins, or that she's already picked up a slew of trophies in amateur tournaments, you'd think this kid is pretty impressive.

But CBS News correspondent Joie Chen reports that's only half her story.

In less than three weeks, Dakoda will tee off in the Ginn Open, against Annika Sorenstam, Christina Kim and the tour's other top women, thanks to an exemption from the tournament's sponsor.

"It's a very big deal," Dakoda Dowd says. "But the most important thing about it is my mom gets to watch me fulfill my dreams."

Dakoda knows her first shot at the pros may be the last tournament her mother ever sees.

"I'm not going to battle this disease and get rid of it," says Kelly Jo Dowd, Dakoda's mother. "This disease will eventually get me."

Kelly Jo Dowd is dying. She's started her third round of chemo, but the breast cancer has spread — it's now in her liver and bones. The outlook is not good.

"What I'm doing right now is I'm fighting, it's all I can do," Kelly Jo Dowd says. "I'm going to fight as long as I can stay alive, and it's because Dakoda."

One would think the family would want to retreat from the spotlight, but instead, they've chosen to use the attention Dakoda's athletic talent has brought them to get out an important message about early breast cancer detection.

They are also supporting the Making Memories Foundation, a group that helps make wishes of women with cancer that has spread to other parts of the body, come true.

It's not hard to see where Dakoda Dowd gets her willpower and resolve, nor is it hard to see why, though her own body is so fragile, Kelly Jo Dowd wants to be a part of her daughter's wild ride.

They are a team. Kelly Jo Dowd is on board for all of her daughter's practice rounds. Dakoda Dowd has been there for every step of her mother's grueling treatment.

"She's such a strong woman," Dakota says. "I want to follow in her footsteps."

Her mother probably won't live to see Dakoda reach the golfer's dream — earning her tour card and becoming a player on the professional circuit. But, Kelly Jo is certain her daughter has what it takes.

"Dakoda knows that whether I am there or not, I'm always here," Kelly Jo says. "I told her I'd be her angel sitting on her shoulder, and that's what I intend to do."

The final round of their memorable season may play out amid these daunting roughs and treacherous bunkers. But Dakoda Dowd has already taken on a tougher course than most of us will ever see, and she's already proven herself a winner.

Cancer-Stricken Mom To Watch Pre-Teen Prodigy Dakoda Dowd in LPGA Event

Pre-teen golf prodigy Dakoda Dowd will make her cancer-sticken mother's dream come true April 27 by playing in an LPGA tournament thanks to a sponsor's exemption.
Dakoda Dowd turns 13 on Monday, three days before her mother resumes chemotherapy after beating breast cancer only to have doctors discover the cancer had spread to her hip bone, liver and spine.

Dakoda Dowd helped a Florida high school team claim a state title while six grades below the seniors, but her mother, Kelly Jo Dowd, saw little hope she would live long enough to see her daughter play in an elite tournament.

"I was not going to get to see my daughter play on the LPGA Tour. It was breaking my heart because I knew she had the ability," Kelly Jo Dowd said. "It was one of the hardest things because I knew I wasn't going to see it."

The Dowds story prompted Bobby Ginn, sponsor of next month's Ginn Clubs and Resorts Open, to invite Dakoda Dowd to his new event.

"What he has done for me is irreplacable. He made my dream come true," the elder Dowd said.

"It has been amazing. Fantastic. Sensational. It has been so uplifting. Right now I'm in a very good frame of mind. I'm fighting very hard for this."

While watching her mother's fight for life, Dakoda finds golf's troublesome moments minor by comparison.

"Nothing compares to that," she said. "Part of me is happy because it has made me stronger. When I look into her eyes and think about what she is going through, it gives me a lot of strength."

The chance to play alongside such idols as world number one Annika Sorenstam is less daunting for Dakoda Dowd because of what it will mean for her mother.

"It's going to be rough but it's going to be great," Dakoda Dowd said. "I'm really excited and happy. I'm just going to go out there and have fun and be happy my mom will be watching. That's the most important thing.

"She helps me through a lot of stuff. She keep me positive. She's my rock."

Kelly Jo Dowd, who turned 41 on March 10, was a "Hooters" girl, serving as a calendar and poster model during 14 years where she worked her way from waitress to restaurant general manager.

Then came cancer and chemotherapy, losing hair and many of the trappings of beauty she learned were only secondary.

"It played havoc on my self-esteem. I felt very confident before. I lost all that," she said. "It was a tough time but because of that I became a better person and became more confident."

Kelly Jo Dowd's battle made her want to help other women who face similar challenges in their lives.

"I want to help as many women as possible. I can help people. There are a lot of people out there just like me," she said.

"I felt the lump and didn't check it out immediately. I didn't think it was serious at all. The number one thing I can say to other women is take it seriously. Don't wait. Don't do what I did. Get a mamogram."

Dakoda Dowd has drawn strength from and given strength to her daughter at various times during her combat with cancer.

"Her inner strength is there from everything I've gone through, all the stuff she has had to go through," Kelly Jo Dowd said. "Everybody in the family has been deflated at times, crying at stages.

"We have gotten each other through it. I've looked to her for strength at times. She's an incredible golfer. She had a lot going on and this slaps her in the face.

"There have been times she hasn't felt like playing, like her heart is not into it. She still puts in the time. She has got a will power and a lot of courage to go out there and get it done.

"Dakoda Dowd believes we're go back on the chemo and beat this in another three months."

And if cancer can be conquered, what chance do mere golf rivals stand?

"Just playing on the tour will be a dream come true," Dakoda Dowd said. "I can't say I wouldn't like to win some day."

Dakoda Dowd A Jr. Golf Pro, 12, Fulfils Dying Mom’s Dream

Dakoda Dowd a 12 year old girl from Florida is to become the world’s second youngest female professional golfer in order to fulfil the dream of her dying mother.

Dakoda Flowie Dowd will make her debut in a tournament near Orlando next month. The Ladies’ Professional Golf Association insists players be at least 18 but an exception is being made because of the “extraordinary emotional circumstances”.

Dakoda’s mother, Kelly Jo Dowd, 40, has cancer and doctors do not expect her to survive for more than a few months. Watching her daughter take part in the tournament is her dearest wish.

Kelly Jo will be allowed to follow her in a customised golf cart. But as she approaches her 13th birthday this week, Dakoda Dowd's fear is that her mother may not be well enough to attend. “My birthday wish is that my mom is here for the tournament and for a long time after that,” she said.

“But there are good days and bad days, for both of us, and we just try to hold it together and concentrate on making her dreams come true.”

Dowd recalled that when she first suffered discomfort, she blamed breast implants and skipped a mammogram.

“That was the worst decision of my life,” she said.

Last month she picked her funeral plot.

“It is a very tough time, but all I can ask is that God steers us through it and, afterwards, my little girl has a strong and happy life.”