Shirley Spork one of 13 founders of LPGA, dies at 94

Daytonabeach
Shirley Spork, one of the 13 founders of the LPGA Tour who learned two weeks ago she would be inducted into the LPGA Hall of Fame, has died, the LPGA said. She was 94.
The LPGA said she died in Palm Springs, California, where she had been living and teaching into her 90s. While she never won on the LPGA Tour — her best finish was runner-up in the 1962 LPGA Championship at Stardust Country Club in Las Vegas — Spork’s impact stretched across seven decades of starting the tour and teaching the game.
She was behind the creation of the LPGA Teaching & Club Pro Division, which began with six members and now has more than 1,700 women professionals.
The LPGA Hall of Fame is among the most stringent in sports, requiring 27 points accrued through victories, majors and top awards. The tour voted last month to add Lorena Ochoa, who had not achieved the minimum 10 years on tour; and all the founders who didn’t get in through their performance on the golf course.
“Getting into the LPGA Hall of Fame is the highest honor ever in our profession, so I’ve climbed the whole ladder and gotten to the top,” Spork said. “I hope I can sit up on that ladder for a few more years and enjoy it.” A longtime resident of Palm Desert, California, Spork showed up regularly for the first major of the year at Mission Hills. She also attended the Founders Cup, often greeting players with a handshake and a swing tip off the 18th green.