Dakoda Dowd
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Dakoda Flowie Dowd (born April 3, 1993), also known as "Koda", is an American amateur golfer. On April 27, 2006, 24 days after her 13th birthday, she became the youngest player to compete in an LPGA tournament. This record was broken a year later when 12-year-old Alexis Thompson qualified for and played in the 2007 United States Women's Open.
Dowd, who lives in Palm Harbor, Florida, has won more than 185 junior trophies. In 2006, she was ranked number one among United States sixth graders.[1] In 2007, she ranked fifth out of seven among American female golfers at her grade level. Overall she is ranked 188th in the United States among amateur, female golfers.[1]
Her mother, Kelly Jo Dowd, was diagnosed with breast cancer in the fall of 2002.[1][2] Kelly Jo underwent a double mastectomy and chemotherapy treatments. Doctors believed the cancer had gone into remission, but several years later, Kelly Jo was discovered to have metastatic cancer which had spread to her bones and liver. Dowd scaled back her golf activities in order to spend more time with her mother, who doctors said could have only months to live. The Dowds were moved into a studio apartment due to medical costs and the loss of Kelly Jo's income,[3] despite fundraising efforts by Kelly Jo's former employer, Hooters. (Hooters became active in the Susan G. Komen Foundation as a result of this.[2])
In March 2006, Dowd received a sponsor's exemption to play in the inaugural LPGA Ginn Clubs & Resorts Open[4] after the CEO of Ginn Clubs & Resorts, Bobby Ginn, was made aware of a story in the The Tampa Tribune about Kelly Jo's plight and her dream to see her daughter play in an LPGA event.[5] Dakoda's story attracted considerable media attention and she was followed by a large gallery during the tournament. After a birdie at the first hole she went on to finish the first round with a 2-over par score of 74. She completed her first two rounds 12 strokes over par, missed the cut, and finished near the bottom, tied for 156th place out of 162 competitors.
In 2007, she attempted to qualify for the U.S. Women's Open but did not move beyond the second round of qualifying.
Kelly Jo died of cancer on May 24, 2007.[6][2]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c "A daughter's devotion", Bob Putnam, St. Petersburg Times, October 4, 2005
- ^ a b c "HOOTERS Celebrating 25 Years". HOOTERS Magazine. February/ March 2008.pp. 70, 74.
- ^ "Dakoda Dowd, 13, fulfills her mother's dream", Erin Sullivan, The Orlando Sentinel, April 27, 2006
- ^ Press release from Ginn Clubs & Resorts (pdf), March 20, 2006
- ^ "Kelly Jo Dowd", Anthony Cotton, The Denver Post, May 21, 2006
- ^ "Kelly Jo Dowd dies after long battle with cancer", Associated Press, May 25, 2007
