Akron Travels to Shirley Spork EMU Invite for Fall Finale

Monday, October 4

Eagle Crest Golf Club | Ypsilanti, Mich.

36 Holes

University of Akron

Shirley Spork EMU Invite

Akron Travels to Shirley Spork EMU Invite for Fall Finale

October 03 | Women's Golf

Akron Travels to Shirley Spork EMU Invite for Fall Finale
Follow Zips Women's Golf on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram | Follow Coach King on Twitter

GolfStat Live Scoring | Pairings

AKRON, Ohio – The University of Akron golf team will be back in action for the final Fall tournament on Monday and Tuesday, Oct. 4-5 at the at the Shirley Spork EMU Invite hosted by Eastern Michigan at Eagle Crest Golf Clubin Ypsilanti, Mich.

The Zips are coming off back-to-back tournament wins for the second time in program history as the starting five of sophomore Jennifer David (Hudson, Ohio), graduate transfer Ke'Asha Phillips (Owensboro, Ky.), senior Abbie Pearce (Green, Ohio), junior Ivana Shah (Mumbai, India) and sophomore Jessica Hahn (Canton, Ohio) attempt to make it three consecutive wins. In addition, junior Jacinta Pikunas (Youngstown, Ohio) is scheduled to compete as an individual at the Par-72, 6,175-Yard course.

The 11-team field consists of host Eastern Michigan, Akron, Bowling Green, Central Michigan, Dayton, Detroit Mercy, Green Bay, Oakland, Ohio, Western Michigan and Youngstown State.

On Monday, the Shirley Spork EMU Invite is scheduled for 36 holes of continuous play golf beginning with a 9 a.m. shotgun start. Akron is slated to tee-off from holes 15-18 with Oakland and Dayton. Fans can follow the action via GolfStat Live Scoring.

Who Is Shirley Spork:
The first female inducted into the E-Club Hall of Fame in 1981, Spork began her golf career early in life. She started playing with one club, a putter, at age 10. While attending then-MSNC, Spork won the Women's District Match Play Championship three times in four years. In 1947, she was the winner of the first-ever National Collegiate Championship held for women's athletics, plus she was the victor of the 1949 Michigan Amateur. After graduation, Spork became a teacher in the Detroit public schools, but realized she would much rather be playing golf. She turned professional in 1950 and played the tour, but along the way realized she was still a teacher at heart. In 1959 along with Marilynn Smith, Betty Hicks and Barbara Rotvig, she founded the LPGA's Teaching and Club Professional Division. Spork was the first LPGA professional to conduct golf clinics in foreign countries and was a two-time LPGA Teacher of the Year (1959, 1984). She was the chairperson of the LPGA T&CP Division from 1960-66, and received the Meritorious Service Award in 1989. Among her honors are the 1994 Byron Nelson Award, the 1998 LPGA Ellen Griffin Rolex Award, membership in the inaugural class of the LPGA Teaching & Club Professionals Division Hall of Fame in 2000, and a 2002 inductee in the Michigan Golf Hall of Fame. Spork was recently named one of the inductees into the 2019 Professional Golfers' Association (PGA) of America Hall of Fame.