JoAnne Carner begins her quest for US Senior Women’s Open glory on Thursday afternoon, but ‘Big Mama’ has been turning heads in Pittsburgh even before she begins.
The 85-year-old, a 43-time LPGA Tour winner and eight-time USGA champion, is among the entrants at Fox Chapel Golf Club for this week’s event.
The Hall of Famer first won a USGA title in 1956 and nearly 70 years later, Carner is still smoking cigarettes and hitting the ball more than 200 yards.
This year Carner wins his 50th USGA championship and his dream in Pittsburgh is to achieve it.
It doesn’t matter that she has failed to make it to the weekend in her five previous appearances, or that some of her rivals are more than three decades her junior.
JoAnne Carner, 85, known as ‘Big Mama’, will play in the US Senior Women’s Open
The American continues to smoke cigarettes and hit the ball over 200 yards.
This year, from a field of 120 women, only the top 50 players — and any ties — will make it to rounds three and four in Pittsburgh.
According Golf week‘Big Mama’ has joked that she might quit smoking this week, given the number of stairs between the locker room and the bag room at Fox Chapel.
He had already tried to quit smoking and is still trying to improve his distance off the tee, even at 85 years old.
Carner insisted she would retire from competitive golf in 2022. “I still think I’m going to get there,” the two-time U.S. Women’s Open champion said at the time.
“I’m still working on my game. I think I’ve finally got it right. It’s hard work trying to get it all working. I’ve let it go by too long.”
The Hall of Famer first won a USGA title in 1956 and is still going strong nearly 70 years later.
‘Big Mama’ currently throws the ball between 205 and 210 yards, but hopes to hit it 220 again.
Now, according to Golfweek, the former long-range hitter currently hits the ball between 205 and 210 yards, but hopes to hit it 220 again.
The 85-year-old reportedly took a lesson from a professional in Florida last week as she looks to improve her game.
“She was showing me how fucked up she was,” she said. “She was moving too much on my wrists and too upright.”
‘Big Mama’ is the oldest player to compete in a USGA championship. She has played at or above her age group six times in the US Senior Open.
She uses a golf cart, as walking up the hills is too difficult. your chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).