Akron Opens Shirley Spork EMU Invitational

Live Scoring

AKRON, Ohio -- The Akron golf team opens tournament play at the Shirley Spork EMU Invitational hosted by Eastern Michigan on Monday and Tuesday, Oct. 3-4, at Eagle Crest Golf Club in Ypsilanti, Mich.

The 10-team field at the Par 72, 6,175-yard course features Eastern Michigan (host), Akron, Bowling Green, Central Michigan, Detroit Mercy, Green Bay, Loyola-Chicago, Ohio, Oakland and Western Michigan.

Akron's starting five consists of senior Jacinta Pikunas (Youngstown, Ohio), junior Jessica Hahn (Canton, Ohio), Daphne van Son (Vlijmen, Netherlands), freshman Avery Wright (Jackson, Ohio) and freshman Hridhika Vora (Mumbai, Maharashtra). In addition, junior Abbi Fleiner (Reno, Nev.) will compete for Akron as an individual.

Schedule of Events:
Sunday, Oct. 2
Practice facilities open (2 p.m. shotgun for practice rounds)
Monday, Oct. 3
9 a.m. – Rounds 1 & 2 shotgun start (continuous play)
Tuesday, Oct. 4
9 a.m. – Round 3 shotgun start

Live scoring: (Every 3 holes)
GolfStat: https://results.golfstat.com//public/leaderboards/gsnav.cfm?pg=participants&tid=26917

About 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. Spork was one of the 13 founding members of the LPGA Tour. 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 named one of the inductees into the 2019 Professional Golfers' Association (PGA) of America Hall of Fame.

Spork passed away April 12, 2022, in Palm Springs, Calif. at the age of 94.

Previous Champions:
2017 - Marshall (302-294-300=896) Julia Champion, Western Michigan (71-74-73=218)
2018 - Bowling Green (297-295=592) Jessica Madry, Bowling Green (71-70=141)
2019 - Eastern Michigan (299-297-303=899) Mikaela Schulz, Michigan (68-72-72=212)
2020 - No event due to COVID-19
2021 - Eastern Michigan (290-297-312=899) Alissa Fish, Western Michigan (69-71-70=210)

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Abbi Fleiner

Jessica Hahn

Jacinta Pikunas

Hridhika Vora

Avery Wright

The University of Akron Athletics