Stephanie Sparks
Encyclopedia
Stephanie Sparks is an on-air personality at The Golf Channel
and a former golfer, whose best years in golf
came as an amateur
.
, where she was an All-America
. A wrist injury threatened her career early, though, and she was forced to quit the team before graduating in 1996. As an amateur, Sparks won the 1993 Women's Western Amateur
, a Women's Eastern Amateur, a West Virginia State Amateur, and the 1992 North and South Women's Amateur at Pinehurst
.
In 1996, after graduation, Sparks joined the Futures Tour
, the LPGA
's developmental tour. In 1999, Sparks finally got her LPGA card in a playoff at Q-School. So emotional was the moment for Sparks that she fell to the ground in tears numerous times while walking back to the clubhouse. 2000 was Sparks' only season as an LPGA player (she became a professional
as a Futures Tour player), as back surgery at season's end forced her to retire. She made one cut at the Electrolux USA Championship in Nashville, Tennessee
, earning $997.
network's original productions department. In fact, the very first time Sparks appeared in front of a camera was in the 2004 film, Bobby Jones: A Stroke of Genius
. In the movie, Sparks played Alexa Stirling
, the winner of three consecutive United States Women's Amateur Golf Championship
s and a close friend of the legendary golfer
. To try out for the part, Sparks went to an open audition during a lunch break in Orlando
, where The Golf Channel's studios are located. To her surprise, she got the part, even without prior acting experience. She had just two scenes in the movie, and shooting them took just two days in the Autumn
of 2003. Though Jones and Stirling were considered great golfers in their day, the big contrast between Sparks and the film's star, Jim Caviezel, who played Bobby Jones, was that Sparks was once a great player with much promise, though it was never completely fulfilled, and Caviezel had never picked up a golf club
in his life. Sparks has said, though, that she has no desire to pursue an acting career, that it was just a great experience. She also said that working with Caviezel was "surreal."
The film debuted in April 2004, and Sparks' first time in front of a camera for The Golf Channel took place in July 2004, when she began hosting Golf With Style! Sparks also anchors short Golf Central
updates on Thursdays and Fridays to tell viewers what's going on in the early part of a round at a golf tournament. Sparks also co-hosted the third edition of The Golf Channel's reality television
competition show, The Big Break
, titled, The Big Break III: Ladies Only, alongside Vince Cellini
. It was the first time hosting the show for Sparks and Cellini. In the Fall of 2005, Sparks and Cellini returned to host The Big Break IV: USA vs. Europe. They will return again on February 7, 2006, for The Big Break V: Hawaii
, a second "ladies only" edition. Sparks also hosts many of the Golf Channel's program, "Playing Lessons With the Pros," where she along with a professional golfer offer tips while they play.
The Golf Channel
Golf Channel, known as The Golf Channel before the July 2008 dropping of The, is an American cable television network with coverage focused on the game of golf. Founded in Birmingham, Alabama, the American headquarters and studio are currently located in Orlando, Florida...
and a former golfer, whose best years in golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
came as an amateur
Amateur
An amateur is generally considered a person attached to a particular pursuit, study, or science, without pay and often without formal training....
.
Golfer
From 1992 to 1994, Sparks played golf at Duke UniversityDuke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
, where she was an All-America
All-America
An All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
. A wrist injury threatened her career early, though, and she was forced to quit the team before graduating in 1996. As an amateur, Sparks won the 1993 Women's Western Amateur
Women's Western Amateur
The Women's Western Amateur is an amateur golf tournament for women. It is organized by the Women's Western Golf Association, which also organized the Women's Western Open from 1930 to 1967. It is one of the oldest women's amateur tournaments in the United States, having been played since 1901...
, a Women's Eastern Amateur, a West Virginia State Amateur, and the 1992 North and South Women's Amateur at Pinehurst
Pinehurst Resort
Pinehurst Resort is a historic upmarket golf resort at Pinehurst, North Carolina, USA. It has hosted a number of prestigious golf tournaments.-History:...
.
In 1996, after graduation, Sparks joined the Futures Tour
FUTURES Tour
The LPGA Futures Tour, previously styled in uppercase as FUTURES Tour and known for sponsorship reasons between 2006 and 2010 as the Duramed FUTURES Tour, is the official developmental golf tour of the LPGA Tour...
, the LPGA
LPGA
The LPGA, in full the Ladies Professional Golf Association, is an American organization for female professional golfers. The organization, whose headquarters is in Daytona Beach, Florida, is best known for running the LPGA Tour, a series of weekly golf tournaments for elite female golfers from...
's developmental tour. In 1999, Sparks finally got her LPGA card in a playoff at Q-School. So emotional was the moment for Sparks that she fell to the ground in tears numerous times while walking back to the clubhouse. 2000 was Sparks' only season as an LPGA player (she became a professional
Professional
A professional is a person who is paid to undertake a specialised set of tasks and to complete them for a fee. The traditional professions were doctors, lawyers, clergymen, and commissioned military officers. Today, the term is applied to estate agents, surveyors , environmental scientists,...
as a Futures Tour player), as back surgery at season's end forced her to retire. She made one cut at the Electrolux USA Championship in Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
, earning $997.
Television
Sparks' time at The Golf Channel began as a production assistant in the cable televisionCable television
Cable television is a system of providing television programs to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through coaxial cables or digital light pulses through fixed optical fibers located on the subscriber's property, much like the over-the-air method used in traditional...
network's original productions department. In fact, the very first time Sparks appeared in front of a camera was in the 2004 film, Bobby Jones: A Stroke of Genius
Bobby Jones: A Stroke of Genius
Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius is a 2004 film based on the life, specifically the golfing career, of Bobby Jones, the first player in the sport ever to win all four of the men's major golf championships consecutively Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius is a 2004 film based on the life, specifically the...
. In the movie, Sparks played Alexa Stirling
Alexa Stirling
Alexa Stirling Fraser was a North American amateur golf champion.Born in Atlanta, Georgia, Alexa Stirling was coached in golf from a young age at the Atlanta Athletic Club's East Lake Golf Club course by Stewart Maiden, the club's professional, who had learned his golf at Carnoustie, Scotland...
, the winner of three consecutive United States Women's Amateur Golf Championship
United States Women's Amateur Golf Championship
The U.S. Women's Amateur is the leading golf tournament in the United States for female amateur golfers. It is played annually and is one of the 13 United States national golf championships organized by the United States Golf Association . Female amateurs from all nations are eligible to compete...
s and a close friend of the legendary golfer
Bobby Jones (golfer)
Robert Tyre "Bobby" Jones Jr. was an American amateur golfer, and a lawyer by profession. Jones was the most successful amateur golfer ever to compete on a national and international level...
. To try out for the part, Sparks went to an open audition during a lunch break in Orlando
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
, where The Golf Channel's studios are located. To her surprise, she got the part, even without prior acting experience. She had just two scenes in the movie, and shooting them took just two days in the Autumn
Autumn
Autumn is one of the four temperate seasons. Autumn marks the transition from summer into winter usually in September or March when the arrival of night becomes noticeably earlier....
of 2003. Though Jones and Stirling were considered great golfers in their day, the big contrast between Sparks and the film's star, Jim Caviezel, who played Bobby Jones, was that Sparks was once a great player with much promise, though it was never completely fulfilled, and Caviezel had never picked up a golf club
Golf club (equipment)
A golf club is used to hit a golf ball in a game of golf. Each club is composed of a shaft with a grip and a clubhead. Woods are mainly used for long-distance fairway or tee shots; irons, the most versatile class, are used for a variety of shots; Hybrids that combine design elements of woods and...
in his life. Sparks has said, though, that she has no desire to pursue an acting career, that it was just a great experience. She also said that working with Caviezel was "surreal."
The film debuted in April 2004, and Sparks' first time in front of a camera for The Golf Channel took place in July 2004, when she began hosting Golf With Style! Sparks also anchors short Golf Central
Golf Central
Golf Central is Golf Channel's news program. It was launched in 1995, in the same year as the network it airs on.A nightly half-hour show, Golf Central features news and highlights from the major golf tours and events of the world, in addition to on-site reports from tournaments.-Format:The show's...
updates on Thursdays and Fridays to tell viewers what's going on in the early part of a round at a golf tournament. Sparks also co-hosted the third edition of The Golf Channel's reality television
Reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
competition show, The Big Break
The Big Break
The Big Break is the Golf Channel's reality television program. The show's premise is to award an aspiring professional golfer exemptions into selected events on certain tours. The series debuted on October 6, 2003, and has become very popular. As of November 2011, Big Break is in its 16th...
, titled, The Big Break III: Ladies Only, alongside Vince Cellini
Vince Cellini
Vincent Robert Cellini is a long-time sports broadcaster for radio and television. Most recently, he was an anchor and program host for The Golf Channel. It was reported that his contract was not renewed for 2010.-Early life and career:...
. It was the first time hosting the show for Sparks and Cellini. In the Fall of 2005, Sparks and Cellini returned to host The Big Break IV: USA vs. Europe. They will return again on February 7, 2006, for The Big Break V: Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
, a second "ladies only" edition. Sparks also hosts many of the Golf Channel's program, "Playing Lessons With the Pros," where she along with a professional golfer offer tips while they play.