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Teeing Off

Golf in the Lower Hudson Valley, from high schools to the pros

Touching story reaches a tragic end

May
25

Even that day last year when a 13-year-old Dakoda Dowd flirted with making the cut in the LPGA’s Ginn Open, this wasn’t far off.
pga_a_dowd_275.jpg
Dowd had played in that event to fulfill her mother’s dying wish of seeing her play against the world’s best players. Kelly Jo Dowd was able to see just that, but yesterday, she succumbed to a several-year long battle with breast, bone, and liver cancer. She was 42

“She’ll die knowing that she was loved,” Dakoda said in an interview last year with The Associated Press.

It’s already beyond impressive when a girl not far out of grade school can compete at such a high level, as Dakoda did when she shot 74 and 82 in last year’s Ginn. But when you throw in the duress of seeing her own mother fight for her life, you wonder how Dowd even pulled back the club.

We as golf writers are not in the business of rooting for players. But I sure hope for the day when I can write about Dakoda Dowd under happier circumstances.

This entry was posted on Friday, May 25th, 2007 at 4:55 pm by Sam Weinman.
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About this blog
Writers Sam Weinman and Alex Myers share their thoughts on the local and national golf scene.
About the authors
Sam WeinmanSam Weinman
The lead golf writer for The Journal News and LoHud.com, Weinman, 31, has placed among the top three in the Golf Writers Association of America writing contest in three consecutive years, including a first-place finish in 2004. READ MORE

Alex MyersAlex Myers
A sports reporter at The Journal News for nearly three years, Alex Myers has covered a bit of everything, but a lot of golf, ranging from the high school level to last year's U.S. Open at Winged Foot. His golf writing goes back to his college days when he attended Wake Forest University. Myers is also an avid player who is constantly trying to improve on his current handicap of 8. Perhaps his biggest thrill came earlier this summer when he conquered the famed 17th hole at the TPC at Sawgrass by hitting a 9-iron onto the island green and walking away with a 2-putt par.

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