JoAnne Carner made history last week at the 3rd U.S. Senior Women’s Open, becoming only the fifth player in history (and the oldest!) to shoot his or her age in a USGA championship more than once. Carner, 82, shot her age in the first round at Brooklawn Country Club and followed it up with a 79.
Carner, winner of a record eight USGA championships (only Tiger Woods and Bobby Jones have more) and 43 LPGA titles, took 14 months away from the game during the COVID-19 pandemic before taking two months to get ready for a major.
Her first USGA title came at the 1956 U.S. Girls’ Junior followed by five U.S. Women’s Amateur titles and two U.S. Women’s Opens. The USGA allowed Carner to take a cart for the first time at the 2021 Senior Women’s Open because of COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease). She’ll now have the use of a cart for as long as she competes in USGA events.
The legendary Hall of Famer stuck around for the weekend in Connecticut, catching up with Golfweek in the hotel lobby on Sunday morning before heading home to Florida. Here are excerpts from that entertaining conversation: