Meet JoAnne 'Big Mama' Carner - the 85-year-old smoker looking to light up golf's US Senior Women's Open

JoAnne Carner originates her pursuit of US Senior Women's Open glory connected Thursday day - but 'Big Mama' has been turning heads successful Pittsburgh moreover earlier teeing off.

The 85-year-old, a 43-time victor connected nan LPGA Tour and eight-time USGA champion, is among nan section astatine Fox Chapel Golf Club for this week's event.

The Hall of Famer first won a USGA title backmost successful 1956 and astir 70 years on, Carner is still puffing connected cigarettes and smoking nan shot much than 200 yards.

This twelvemonth marks Carner's 50th profession USGA title and her dream successful Pittsburgh is to make nan cut.

No matter that she has grounded to scope nan play successful her 5 erstwhile appearances. No matter that immoderate of her rivals are much than 3 decades her junior.

This year, from a 120-woman field, only nan apical 50 players - and ties - will make it to rounds 3 and 4 successful Pittsburgh.   

According to Golfweek, 'Big Mama' has joked that she mightiness extremity smoking this week, fixed nan number of stairs betwixt nan locker room and nan container room astatine Fox Chapel.   

She has tried to discontinue cigarettes earlier and she is still aiming to amended her region disconnected nan tee, too. Even astatine 85.

Carner insisted she was giving up competitory play backmost successful 2022. 'I support reasoning I'm going to make nan cut,' nan two-time US Women’s Open champion saud astatine nan time. 

'So I support moving connected my game. I deliberation this is yet it. It's conscionable difficult activity trying to get nan full crippled going. I fto it spell excessively bad.'

Now, according to Golfweek, nan erstwhile agelong hitter presently drives nan shot betwixt 205 and 210 yards but hopes to deed it 220 again.

The 85-year-old reportedly had a instruction pinch a pro successful Florida past week arsenic she looks to amended her game.

'He was demonstrating really screwed up I was,' she said. 'I was getting excessively wristy and excessively upright.'

'Big Mama' is nan oldest subordinate ever to compete successful a USGA championship. She has changeable her property aliases amended six times successful nan US Senior Open.

She uses a play cart, pinch stepping hills excessively difficult given  her chronic obstructive pulmonary illness (COPD).