79-year-old JoAnne Carner shot 79 at the LPGA Senior Women's Open

JoAnne "Big Mama" Carner was elected to the World Golf Hall of Fame 36 years ago. She has not taken a class since 2004. She was asked yesterday, before the first ever USGA Senior Women's Open, whether she had hit the gym to prepare. "Do I look like I hit the gym?" She replied.

Carner, 79, took a long, deep push on her cigarette before taking off, leading the ball to 225 yards. And in the next 18 holes, something remarkable happened.

Carner shot a 1-under on the back nine at the Chicago Golf Club to finish one more than 79, drawing his age dang . She had four birdies along the way, including on the 18th hole of 421 yards by 5. 18.

And she did not been impressed.

When asked if she "Carner shook her head emphatically.

"No, I just hit horrific shots," she said. "Like golf 101."

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"Really, I can pull that heading under normal," she said.

Carner is a national treasure. With 43 wins on the LPGA Tour from 1969 to 1985 (including two major tournaments), "Big Mama" played until her sixties, and not just on the Legends Tour, she became the oldest to do an LPGA cut in 2004.

She is an absolute legend among her peers, even those half a century younger. Watch them raving about it in this room that the Golf TV channel broadcast a few years ago.

Carner is nine strokes from the leader, Elaine Crosby, who is 19 years younger. She certainly has obstacles that Crosby does not have. Carner discovered this week that her corner of trust was found to be out of order, even though she used it forever – it's been so long since she played in a sanctioned event. And Carner's group was warned on the ninth hole for slow play. "I usually play fast," she joked. "I'm walking slowly now."

Carner used to have a joke for the moment people asked her when she had finally left him. "I will retire when I draw my address," she would say. Her address was 30 to 30.

Before the tournament started, Carner said her goal was to make the cup so that she could play the whole weekend. It's quite realistic: the top 50 players and ties will be on the right side of the cut line. At 18, Carner is tied for 50th place.