JoAnne Carner begins her pursuit of US Senior Women’s Open glory on Thursday afternoon – but ‘Big Mama’ has been turning heads in Pittsburgh even before teeing off.
The 85-year-old, a 43-time winner on the LPGA Tour and eight-time USGA champion, is among the field at Fox Chapel Golf Club for this week’s event.
The Hall of Famer first won a USGA title back in 1956 and nearly 70 years on, Carner is still puffing on cigarettes and smoking the ball more than 200 yards.
This year marks Carner’s 50th career USGA championship and her dream in Pittsburgh is to make the cut.
No matter that she has failed to reach the weekend in her five previous appearances. No matter that some of her rivals are more than three decades her junior.
JoAnne Carner, who is 85 and known as ‘Big Mama’, will tee it up in US Senior Women’s Open
This year, from a 120-woman field, only the top 50 players – and ties – will make it to rounds three and four in Pittsburgh.
According to Golfweek, ‘Big Mama’ has joked that she might stop smoking this week, given the number of stairs between the locker room and the bag room at Fox Chapel.
She has tried to quit cigarettes before and she is still aiming to improve her distance off the tee, too. Even at 85.
Carner insisted she was giving up competitive golf back in 2022. ‘I keep thinking I’m going to make the cut,’ the two-time US Women’s Open champion saud at the time.
‘So I keep working on my game. I think this is finally it. It’s just hard work trying to get the whole game going. I let it go too bad.’
The Hall of Famer first won a USGA title back in 1956 and is still going strong nearly 70 years on
‘Big Mama’ currently drives the ball between 205 and 210 yards but hopes to hit it 220 again
Now, according to Golfweek, the former long hitter currently drives the ball between 205 and 210 yards but hopes to hit it 220 again.
The 85-year-old reportedly had a lesson with a pro in Florida last week as she looks to improve her game.
‘He was demonstrating how screwed up I was,’ she said. ‘I was getting too wristy and too upright.’
‘Big Mama’ is the oldest player ever to compete in a USGA championship. She has shot her age or better six times in the US Senior Open.
She uses a golf cart, with walking hills too difficult given her chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
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