JoAnne Carner - Part 2 (Winning the 1971 & 1976 Women's U.S. Opens)

World Golf Hall of Fame member JoAnne Carner looks back on her early years on Tour including several of her 43 LPGA titles including the 1969 Burdine's Invitational that she won as an amateur. Professional success came quickly in her first year on Tour in 1970 and then validation came with a wire-to-wire win at the 1971 Women's U.S. Open at Kahkwa Club over the great Kathy Whitworth where JoAnne became the first player to win three different USGA championships. Fourteen wins later she cashes in at the 1976 U.S. Women's Open at Rolling Green CC and prevails for her eighth USGA title, second only to Bobby Jones and later Tiger Woods with nine. JoAnne Carner continues her life story, "FORE the Good of the Game."

Support the show

Follow our show and/or leave a review/rating on:

Our Website https://www.forethegoodofthegame.com/reviews/new/

Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fore-the-good-of-the-game/id1562581853

Spotify Podcasts https://open.spotify.com/show/0XSuVGjwQg6bm78COkIhZO?si=b4c9d47ea8b24b2d

Google Podcasts https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5idXp6c3Byb3V0LmNvbS8xNzM3Mjc1LnJzcw

About

"FORE the Good of the Game” is a golf podcast featuring interviews with World Golf Hall of Fame members, winners of major championships and other people of influence in and around the game of golf. Highlighting the positive aspects of the game, we aim to create and provide an engaging and timeless repository of content that listeners can enjoy now and forever. Co-hosted by PGA Tour star Bruce Devlin, our podcast focuses on telling their life stories, in their voices. Join Bruce and Mike Gonzalez “FORE the Good of the Game.”

Thanks so much for listening!

Carner, JoAnne

Golf Professional

First she was known as “The Great Gundy.” Then “Big Momma.”

She loved match play, showboating to the galleries, riding motorcycles and partying in the clubhouse with members after her rounds. As JoAnne Gunderson, and later JoAnne Carner, she dominated women’s golf and nobody had more fun dominating than she did. There was a little Babe Ruth in her, a little Babe Zaharias, a little Walter Hagen and a little Shelly Winters, too. It made for some package.

“The ground shakes when she hits it,” Sandra Palmer once said, and with that statement the LPGA had a different type of folk hero to package with the glamour of Jan Stephenson and the youthful innocence of Nancy Lopez. While the youngsters were selling the LPGA Tour, Carner was going back to her Gulfstream motor home, where her husband, Don, had prepared dinner and found a stream where the fish were just waiting to take their lures. “I play better golf living in our trailer,” Carner said, and for a long while, nobody played it better.

“Some people are afraid to win, others are afraid to lose, I think winning is a lot more fun.”
As an amateur golfer, Gunderson was the historic equal of Zaharias and Glenna Collett Vare. Born in Kirkland, Washington, she came out of the Pacific Northwest and won the U.S. Girls’ Junior title in 1956. One month later, she lost in the final of the Women’s Amateur to Marlene Stewart to begin a 13-year run where she either won the national title or finished second seven times. Four of her five championship finals were blowout victories, but in 1966, it took Carner 41 ho… Read More

New to FORE the Good of the Game?