Former Professional Golfers JoAnne Carner and Nancy Lopez

For a long time, men dominated the game of golf. However, things changed with the establishment of the Women’s Professional Golf Association (WPGA) and later the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA). Since then, many women have played golf professionally, with many enjoying long and illustrious careers. Two such women are JoAnne Carner and Nancy Lopez.

JoAnne Carner was born JoAnne Gunderson in Kirkland, Washington, in 1939. She had a decades-long career and numerous wins, including 43 on the LPGA Tour after becoming a member in 1970. She held the record for the most United States Golf Association (USGA) championship wins by a female, beginning with the U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship in 1956, coming behind only male golfers Tiger Woods and Bob Jones.

Carner began playing golf at a young age and showed great talent, going on to play for Arizona State University. As an amateur, she won five U.S. Women’s Amateur Championships between 1957 and 1968, the 1969 LPGA Tour Burdine’s Invitational, and two U.S. Women’s Open Championships in 1971 and 1976. Her amateur status ended in 1970 when she joined the LPGA.

Even in her later years, Carner continues to compete in tournaments. In 2018 at the age of 79, she played at the maiden U.S. Women’s Senior Open, shooting her age in the tournament. She shot her age again in the 2021 U.S. Senior Women’s Open at the age of 82, making her the fifth golfer in USGA championship history to shoot their age more than once.

Fellow former professional golfer Nancy Lopez achieved similarly impressive feats during her career, winning 48 tournaments. Born in 1957 in Torrance, California, Lopez discovered her talent for golf at the age of 8 after being given a set of golf clubs from her father. Lopez won her first tournament, the California State Golf Championships, and the first of three New Mexico Women’s Amateurs at the ages of 9 and 12, respectively.

As an amateur, Lopez won the U.S. Girl’s Junior Championship in 1972 and 1974, came in second at the 1975 U.S. Women’s Open while in high school, and won the Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women championship in 1976 while at the University of Tulsa. In the same year, the university named her an all-American and the Female Athlete of the Year. In 1977, she joined the LPGA, won five consecutive tournaments the subsequent year and nine tournaments total, including her first LPGA Championship.

Lopez went on to win her second and third LPGA Championships in 1985 and 1989. In 1979, she won eight tournaments. In 1987, the LGPA inducted Lopez into its Hall of Fame, making her its youngest member. Lopez became a member of the Georgia Golf Hall of Fame in 1998 and the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame in 2002, retiring that same year. Although Lopez no longer plays professionally, she sponsors tournaments, such as the Nancy Lopez Hospice Golf Classic.

Carner and Lopez helped boost the popularity of women’s golf. With their numerous wins and achievements, they have made their mark on the world of professional women’s golf and golf in general.

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