USGA names U.S. Women's Amateur medal after golf legend
Joanne Gunderson Carner hugs the Cox Trophy after defeating Anne Quast Welts 5 and 4 in the 36 hole finale of the 1968 U.S. Women's Amateur Championship.
Bettmann
“Big Mama” is getting her name on a sizeable prize.
The USGA announced on Saturday that the gold medal awarded to the U.S. Women’s Amateur champion will be redesigned and named in honor of JoAnne Carner.
Carner has a long and rich history with the USGA, having won eight championships, including five U.S. Women’s Amateur titles before she turned professional at the age of 30. The World Golf Hall of Famer, who first competed under her maiden last named of Gunderson, was the first player in history to win three different USGA championships—the U.S. Girls’ Junior, U.S. Women’s Amateur and U.S. Women’s Open.
The Kirkland, Wash., native seized two U.S. Women’s Open trophies—in 1971 at Kahkwa Club in Erie, Pa. and in 1976 at Rolling Green Golf Club in Springfield, Pa. She also made history as the oldest golfer at the time, at 82, to play in a USGA championship in the 2021 U.S. Senior Women’s Open.
Carner becomes the third golfer to have a USGA medal in their name, joining Jack Nicklaus (U.S. Open) and Mickey Wright (U.S. Women's Open).
“For over 70 years, the USGA has played an active part in my life,” Carner, 86, said in a USGA press release. “From winning my first USGA championship, the U.S. Girls’ Junior in 1956, to competing in the U.S. Senior Women’s Open more than six decades later, being able to hoist a USGA trophy on eight occasions is an experience unlike anything else. The USGA has always represented the pinnacle of the game — the toughest tests, the most demanding setups and the most iconic courses. That’s what makes winning a USGA championship so meaningful — it’s the highest accomplishment in golf.”
Said USGA CEO Mike Whan: “Naming the U.S. Women’s Amateur medal after her is a small tribute to her legacy. We are proud to celebrate her accomplishments and longstanding commitment to golf in a way that will allow for continued recognition and inspiration for generations to come.”
The current gold medal, which was not named, dates back to 1977, and has been awarded to the U.S. Women’s Amateur winner along with the Robert Cox Trophy. The new JoAnne Carner Medal will first be presented next August when the 126th U.S. Women’s Am is played at The Honors Course in Ooltewah, Tenn.