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Scramble to help Turlock golfer on the road to pro goal
spencer heller
A golf tournament to benefit Turlock High grad Spencer Hellers journey to the LPGA will be held May 21 at the Turlock Golf and Country Club. - photo by Photo Contributed

Turlock professional golfer Spencer Heller is one step away from reaching the peak of the sport — the Ladies Pro Golf Association tour — something that no prior athlete from her high school has achieved, but she needs help.

Heller, who is currently competing in the Symentra Tour for women is just one step down from the LPGA, but there is definitely a price to pay.

The Symentra Tour is the equivalent of the web.com tour for the men and what would be Triple-A baseball for Major League Baseball but all the costs, including travel and daily living is delaying her chance at the big leagues in golf. To help Heller continue her pro goal, the Turlock Golf and Country Club will be hosting a fundraiser tournament on May 21.

“We are having the tournament to help her raise money for tournament fees and travel,” said Turlock golf head coach Mary Krupka. “This was her first year being official in this tour and that is a huge accomplishment, it’s tough to get on, not many pro female athletes, it’s a small number.”

It’s been a rough road, but with the assistance of friends, family, and her husband, Heller has flourished and reached this point in her career.

Heller graduated from Turlock High in 2009 and was a four-time All-American while at Sonoma State.

Since graduating from Sonoma, she has embarked on a journey to join the prestigious LPGA tour.

Heller’s former high school coach, along with friends and family, organized the tournament to help the humble pro athlete continue with her dream.

“Don’t know if I know someone who is as kind or nice as Spencer,” said Krupka. “She blushes and we tell her to talk about herself, but she knows she has to kind of do it since there are a lot of factors to get in. I know she knows it’s difficult and she has a lot of respect for what this is but she has a plan and she is following it, her and her husband.”

The benefit tournament is slated to take place from the TGCC on May 21. Registration will begin at 10 a.m. and a shotgun start at noon. It’s a four-person scramble, which means everyone will tee off and whoever hits the best shot will go from there. Individual entry fee is $150. Hole sponsors are $200; foursome with hole sponsorship is $700. There will be an awards dinner following the tournament. For more information, contact Kathy Heller at 209-585-8143.