The mom of a golf phenom dies
A little more than a year after realizing a dream of seeing her teenage daughter play in an LPGA event, Kelly Jo Dowd has passed away. She was 42.
Dowd spent her final years battling breast, bone and liver cancer, which spread to her brain in recent months. She died last night at her home in Palm Harbor, Florida, according to a family spokesman.
Dakoda Dowd was 13 years old when she teed it up at last year’s Ginn Open in Reunion, Florida. Shortly before the tournament, the family was told Kelly Jo Dowd would have only a few months to live.
Dakoda, who is 1 of the top junior golfers in the country, was invited to play in the 2006 tournament by Ginn officials, who were moved when they heard the family’s story. Dowd shot a 2-over par 74 on the first day, beating a number of major-championship winners, then carded an 82 in the second round and missed the cut.
Earlier this month, clearly distracted by her mother’s rapidly failing health, the now-14-year-old Dakoda failed to advance in qualifying for the US Women’s Open.
source : www.koin.com
