By Chad Crunk
Communications Intern

JoAnne Carner was known as “Big Momma” on the golf course. But a more appropriate way to describe her might have been “people’s champion.” The Kirkland, Wash., native loved showboating to the galleries, riding motorcycles, and partying with members in the clubhouse following her rounds.

Carner enjoyed a wildly successful amateur career. She won the U.S. Girls' Junior title in 1956. She had 13 consecutive years where she either won or finished runner-up at the U.S. Women’s Amateur. In total, she won six Women’s Amateur titles, including a 41-hole match against Marlene Stewart Streit, the longest final match in U.S. Women’s Amateur history. Carner also enjoyed success in amateur team events, going undefeated in Curtis Cup singles (4-0-1).

JoAnne Carner

Carner continued her success on the professional tour. She won 35 events in 12 seasons, enough to qualify for the LPGA Hall of Fame. In 1971, she won the U.S. Women’s Open, becoming the only golfer to win the U.S. Girls' Junior, the U.S. Women’s Amateur and the U.S. Women’s Open. She won the U.S. Women’s Open again in 1976.

All together, “Big Momma” earned 42 LPGA titles from 1970 to 1984. She won LPGA Rookie of the Year honors in 1970, was named LPGA Player of the Year three times and won the Vare Trophy, which recognizes the player who had the lowest average strokes per round in professional events, five times.

Her success has continued after her golfing career. In 1981, she won the Bob Jones Award, the highest honor given by the United States Golf Association in recognition of distinguished sportsmanship in golf. In 1994, she captained the U.S. Solheim Cup team to a 13-7 victory over Team Europe.

Carner had one of the most successful careers in women’s golf history, but along the way, she never forgot who she truly was, the people’s champion.