Stephanie Sparks, a former LPGA pro golfer and co-host of the Golf Channel reality show 'Big Break,' died last week at the age of 50, according to a Kepner Funeral Homes online obituary (h/t Golfweek).
"Stephanie Sparks, 50, of Orlando, FL passed away on April 13, 2024. She was born in Wheeling, WV to Robert and Janie Sparks," the obituary stated. "Stephanie graced our world with her presence and leaves behind cherished memories of laughter, kindness, and warmth."
Sparks' cause of death was not given in the obituary. The West Virginia native won the 1992 North and South Women's Amateur at Pinehurst and earned victories at the Women's Western Amateur, Women's Eastern Amateur and the West Virginia State Amateur in 1993 before representing the United States in the 1994 Curtis Cup.
Spain spent one year on the LPGA tour before being forced into retirement by chronic back pain.
“She had been a professional golfer herself, so she knew what it was like for the contestants, and she wanted them to succeed," said 'Big Break' co-host Tom Abbott, who was contributing to the live broadcast of the Chevron Championship this weekend, via Golfweek. "She kind of rode their emotions in a way when we were doing the show,"“She knew how tough it was.”