Stephanie Sparks, Host of the Golf Channel’s Big Break, Dead at 50

Stephanie Sparks, the Golf Channel personality who hosted The Big Break, has died. She was 50.

According to her obituary, Sparks passed away Saturday, April 13. No cause of death was revealed.

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Sparks hosted three seasons of The Big Break between 2005 and 2006. The reality series aimed to award an aspiring golfer access into big professional events, or offer full-season exemptions to lower-level tours. The series premiered in October 2003 and ran through 2015.

During her TV career, Sparks also hosted Golf With Style and Playing Lessons With the Pros. She also appeared in the 2004 film Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius opposite Jim Caviezel, portraying three-time U.S. Women’s Amateur champion Alexa Stirling.

Before making the jump to the small screen, Sparks had a memorable collegiate and amateur golf career. She competed at Duke University, earning first-team All-American honors her freshman season and second-team honors as a sophomore. In 1992, she won the North and South Women’s Amateur. The next year, she racked up numerous wins, including at the Women’s Western Amateur, Women’s Eastern Amateur and the West Virginia State Amateur.

Sparks ultimately played on the LGPA tour for one year before stepping away from the sport due to a back injury in 2000.

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