JoAnne Carner
JoAnne Gunderson Carner is an American professional golfer. Her 43 victories on the LPGA Tour led to her induction in the World Golf Hall of Fame. She is the only woman to have won the U.S. Girls' Junior, U.S. Women's Amateur, and U.S. Women's Open titles, and was the first person to win three different USGA championship events. Tiger Woods is the only man to have won the equivalent three USGA titles. Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, and Carol Semple Thompson have also won three different USGA titles.
Early life and amateur career
Gunderson was born in Kirkland, Washington, a suburb east of Seattle. She was known as "The Great Gundy" early in her career.In 1960, while attending Arizona State University, she won the national intercollegiate individual golf championship. In 1961, Carner graduated from ASU. She was a member of Kappa Alpha Theta.
From 1956 to 1968, she was the dominant woman in amateur golf. She won the U.S. Women's Amateur five times: in 1957, 1960, 1962, 1966, and 1968. She is second all-time, only behind Glenna Collett Vare who had six. She was runner-up two other times. In 1966, Carner needed 5 extra holes to beat Marlene Stewart Streit in the longest final match in U.S. Women's Amateur history. She also won the U.S. Girls' Junior in 1956.
While still an amateur in 1969, Carner won an LPGA Tour event, the Burdine's Invitational. She was the last amateur to win on the LPGA Tour until 15-year-old New Zealander Lydia Ko won the CN Canadian Women's Open in 2012.
She remained an amateur until the age of 30. Late in her professional career, she captained the 1994 Solheim Cup team.
Professional career
In 1970, at the age of 30, she turned professional. Carner's greatest professional victories were her two U.S. Women's Opens, in 1971 and 1976. She led after each round in 1971 and won easily, finishing seven shots better than Kathy Whitworth who finished in second. In 1976, Carner needed an 18-hole playoff to defeat Sandra Palmer.Big Mama was the second player in LPGA history to cross the $1 million mark in career earnings. She had an unusually long career, remaining competitive through the late 1990s. During 2004, she still played 10 tournaments and became the oldest player to make a cut on the LPGA Tour at age 65.
On July 29 and 30, 2021, Carner played in the U.S. Senior Women's Open at Brooklawn Country Club in Fairfield, Connecticut and shot her age in the first round, and bettered that by shooting 79 in the second round. Although she did not make the cut, she became the fifth golfer ever to shoot their age or better multiple times in a USGA championship while also being the oldest golfer ever to play in a USGA championship.
Personal life
In 1963, she married Don Carner. He also served as her coach and business manager. They were married 36 years until his death at age 83 in 1999 after a long illness. The couple was known for driving from tournament to tournament and staying in an Airstream trailer.Awards and honors
- In 1969, Carner was inducted into the Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame.
- In 1981, Carner was voted the Bob Jones Award, the highest honor given by the United States Golf Association in recognition of distinguished sportsmanship in golf.
Amateur wins (7)
- 1956 U.S. Girls' Junior
- 1957 U.S. Women's Amateur
- 1959 Women's Western Amateur
- 1960 U.S. Women's Amateur
- 1962 U.S. Women's Amateur
- 1966 U.S. Women's Amateur
- 1968 U.S. Women's Amateur
Professional wins (49)
LPGA Tour wins (43)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner-up | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Jan 19, 1969 | Burdine's Invitational | E | 1 stroke |  Other wins (6)
Wins (2)1 In an 18-hole playoff, Carner 76, Palmer 78.Results timeline
† The Kraft Nabisco Championship was the Nabisco Dinah Shore Championship through 1999. It became the Nabisco Championship in 2000 and adopted the Kraft Nabisco Championship name in 2002. ^The Women's British Open replaced the du Maurier Classic as an LPGA major in 2001. CUT = missed the half-way cut DQ = disqualified ... = not yet a major "T" = tied for place Summary
Professional
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