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Aug 11, 2025

U.S. Women’s Amateur Champion’s Medal to be named for World Golf and PNGA Hall of Famer JoAnne Carner

Beginning with the 2026 U.S. Women’s Amateur next August, each champion will receive the JoAnne Carner Medal. Carner is just the third golfer to have a USGA championship medal named after her.

The United States Golf Association has announced the medal presented each year to the U.S. Women’s Amateur champion will be renamed and redesigned to honor golf legend JoAnne Carner in recognition of her remarkable golf career, which includes eight USGA championship victories, the most by any female golfer. 

The gold medal in its current form, which has not had a formal name prior, dates back to 1977. Beginning with the 2026 U.S. Women’s Amateur next August, each champion will receive the JoAnne Carner Medal along with the Robert Cox Trophy. 

JoAnne will become the third golfer to have a USGA championship medal named after her, preceded by Jack Nicklaus in 2012 for the U.S. Open gold medal, and by Mickey Wright in 2020 for the U.S. Women’s Open gold medal. The newly designed JoAnne Carner Medal depicts an iconic swing photo from her 1966 U.S. Women’s Amateur win.  

“JoAnne’s storied career as a USGA champion is a testament to her relentless passion for the game,” said Mike Whan, CEO of the USGA. “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.” 

JoAnne Carner won two U.S. Women’s Opens, 1971 and 1976 (pictured). At the 1987 U.S. Women’s Open, she lost in an 18-hole playoff to Laura Davies. (USGA Archives)

Carner grew up in Kirkland, Wash., and learned the game on the now-closed nine-hole Juanita Golf Course, about a half-mile from her home. Along with her USGA titles, while still an amateur, Carner (then known as JoAnne Gunderson, or “The Great Gundy”) won two PNGA Women’s Amateurs (1956, 1958), the 1956 PNGA Junior Girls’, the 1954 Washington State Women’s Public Links, the 1955 Western Junior Girls’, the 1959 Women’s Western Amateur, among many other titles. She was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame and LPGA Hall of Fame in 1982, and inducted into the PNGA Hall of Fame in 1999.

Click here to read Carner’s full biography on the PNGA Hall of Fame website.

Carner was the first player in history to win three different USGA national titles – the U.S. Girls’ Junior, the U.S. Women’s Amateur and the U.S. Women’s Open. She earned her first USGA victory in the U.S. Girls’ Junior in 1956, followed by the U.S. Women’s Amateur five times (1957, 1960, 1962, 1966, 1968), before turning professional in 1970 at the age of 30. During her professional run, Carner captured two U.S. Women’s Open titles, starting in 1971 with a win at Kahkwa Club in Erie, Pa., and adding a second victory in 1976 at Rolling Green Golf Club in Springfield, Pa. In the 1987 U.S. Women’s Open, Carner lost in an 18-hole playoff to Laura Davies.

At the 2021 U.S. Senior Women’s Open, JoAnne made history as the oldest golfer at the time to play in a USGA championship at the age of 82 and has played in every iteration of the championship since. 

Joining only a handful of golf’s greats, JoAnne received the USGA’s highest honor, the Bob Jones Award, in 1981.

JoAnne Carner won the 1968 U.S. Women’s Amateur (pictured), her fifth title in that national championship. (Ronald Unternahrer/USGA Museum)

“For over 70 years, the USGA has played an active part in my life,” said Carner. “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.” 

During her time on the LPGA Tour, JoAnne recorded 43 wins, earning her LPGA Rookie of the Year honors in 1970 at age 31, followed by Player of the Year in 1974, 1981 and 1982, and the Vare Trophy for lowest scoring average in 1974, 1975, 1981, 1982 and 1983. Among her LPGA Tour victories was the 1985 Safeco Classic, held at Meridian Valley Country Club in Kent, Wash.

Carner also captained the United States in the 1994 Solheim Cup, leading the team to a 13-7 victory over Europe. As an amateur, Carner earned her first LPGA Tour victory at the 1969 Burdine’s Invitational, won a national collegiate title while playing for Arizona State University, and was a four-time member of the U.S. Curtis Cup team.