Great Drive, Heartbreaking Motivation

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 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 of her."

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 Dakota 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 is on board for all of her daughter's practice rounds. Dakoda 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 Dakota 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 has already taken on a tougher course than most of us will ever see, and she's already proven herself a winner.