JoAnne Carner Shoots Age Twice At US Senior Women's Open

On Friday at the US Senior Women's Open, a great of the game waved goodbye to an historic career that included 43 LPGA Tour titles and the accolade of being the only woman to have won the US Girls' Junior, US Women's Amateur, and US Women's Open titles.

Playing at NCR Country Club, JoAnne Carner not only shot her age once at this year's tournament, but twice, as the 83-year-old produced two rounds of 83 to miss the cut in her final professional appearance.

Following her 10-over-par second round, Carner uttered the words: "I never say goodbye, but goodbye!" as she leaves behind a World Golf Hall of Fame career that is littered with accolades.

Speaking after her round, Carner stated: "I just fought it all day, and I couldn't hit the shot when I wanted. Just simple shots, three-quarter 7 or something like that. So I was fighting it all day. It was too hard work this year trying to get my game in shape. But I won't let it go that bad to begin with."

Carner is ranked as one of the best female golfers of all time and only one of five people to win three different USGA events, sitting alongside Tiger Woods, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Carol Semple Thompson. 

When asked  how it felt to shoot her age, a feat which she has done five times in the event, the 83-year-old said: "I get a lot of people talking to me as I play, even the players all congratulate me. I'm not very enthusiastic about it because I shot 83. But it's nice to hear from them."

So, how would Carner describe her overall career, a career which spans eight decades. Well, the American didn't know where to start, as she stated: "Sum it up? Have you got an hour? I've had a fantastic career. Starting public links golf, daughter of a carpenter and a housewife, and used to hunt golf balls to pay for golf and take the neighbor kids to the movies and whatnot.

"Then from there, you start taking a club to knock the weeds down to hunt the golf balls, and from there, we could play at this little nine-hole public golf course after the paying customers, so I learned to play moonlight golf with two of my sisters played at that time when I was young, and then the neighbor boys. From there, just progressed."