Dakoda (Koda) Dowd Receives Sponsor's Exemption to Inaugural Ginn Clubs & Resorts Open
Twelve-year-old Dakoda (Koda) Dowd has received a sponsor's exemption to the inaugural Ginn Clubs & Resorts Open at Reunion Resort & Club, April 24-30. The youngster from Palm Harbor, Fla., will be playing her first professional tournament against the esteemed 144-player field, which is expected to include No.1-ranked LPGA player Annika Sorenstam.
Already at such a young age, Koda Dowd is an accomplished player, winning over 185 junior tournaments and is the nation's top-ranked female player in the 2011 graduating class. In 2005, as a sixth-grader, she was the No. 2 player on the golf team at Northside Christian High and helped the team win its first state title.
However, her upcoming success has come at a time when she is facing a heartbreaking and difficult family situation. Dowd's mother, Kelly Jo, learned earlier this year that the breast cancer she beat three years ago has returned, invading more of her body and leaving her terminally ill. The disease has spread to bone and liver cancer. The chance for Dakoda (Koda) to play in an LPGA event is one of her mother's final wishes.
"This is so exciting for me and my family. My dad and I hope that my mom will be here to see me play in April at this event on the LPGA tour," said Dowd. "Since I was a kid, my mom has always dreamed of seeing me play with the really great golfers like Annika Sorenstam and Cristie Kerr. With this opportunity, she may finally have a chance to see this dream come true."
Tickets will be priced at $10 for each of the practice rounds and pro-am days and $30 for general admission for each of the four rounds. Parking is complimentary and included with each ticket. Weekly badges are available for $80 which allows guests access to all of the tournament events as well as the two evenings of music on Friday and Saturday night with concerts by the Pointer Sisters and Brooks & Dunn, to name a few. Practice rounds will be held on Monday, April 24 and Tuesday, April 25. The Pro-Am will be held on Wednesday, April 26 and the 72-hole competition will begin Thursday, April 27 and run through April 30.
The inaugural Ginn Clubs & Resorts Open will be played at Reunion Resort & Club on a composite layout of two of the resort's courses, the Legacy Course designed by Arnold Palmer and the Independence Course by Tom Watson. CBS Sports and The Golf Channel will televise the event nationally.
Already at such a young age, Koda Dowd is an accomplished player, winning over 185 junior tournaments and is the nation's top-ranked female player in the 2011 graduating class. In 2005, as a sixth-grader, she was the No. 2 player on the golf team at Northside Christian High and helped the team win its first state title.
However, her upcoming success has come at a time when she is facing a heartbreaking and difficult family situation. Dowd's mother, Kelly Jo, learned earlier this year that the breast cancer she beat three years ago has returned, invading more of her body and leaving her terminally ill. The disease has spread to bone and liver cancer. The chance for Dakoda (Koda) to play in an LPGA event is one of her mother's final wishes.
"This is so exciting for me and my family. My dad and I hope that my mom will be here to see me play in April at this event on the LPGA tour," said Dowd. "Since I was a kid, my mom has always dreamed of seeing me play with the really great golfers like Annika Sorenstam and Cristie Kerr. With this opportunity, she may finally have a chance to see this dream come true."
Tickets will be priced at $10 for each of the practice rounds and pro-am days and $30 for general admission for each of the four rounds. Parking is complimentary and included with each ticket. Weekly badges are available for $80 which allows guests access to all of the tournament events as well as the two evenings of music on Friday and Saturday night with concerts by the Pointer Sisters and Brooks & Dunn, to name a few. Practice rounds will be held on Monday, April 24 and Tuesday, April 25. The Pro-Am will be held on Wednesday, April 26 and the 72-hole competition will begin Thursday, April 27 and run through April 30.
The inaugural Ginn Clubs & Resorts Open will be played at Reunion Resort & Club on a composite layout of two of the resort's courses, the Legacy Course designed by Arnold Palmer and the Independence Course by Tom Watson. CBS Sports and The Golf Channel will televise the event nationally.
posted by John at 2:10 PM
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