Hailey Davidson is a transgender golfer who recently competed in the LPGAand earned a partial spot on the 2025 Epson Tour. She also came within one shot of qualifying for the U.S. Women’s Open.
She will not be eligible for any of these events next year.
New policies announced Wednesday by the LPGA and USGA will prohibit golfers who were assigned male at birth and who did not transition to female before beginning male puberty from participating in the organizations’ elite events starting in 2025.
“I can’t say I didn’t see this coming,” Davidson wrote Wednesday. on her Instagram stories. “Banned from the Epson and the LPGA. All the silence and people who want to remain “neutral” thank you for absolutely nothing. This happened because of all your silence.
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The LPGA’s gender eligibility criteria will apply to any player wishing to compete on the LPGA Tour, Epson Tour, Ladies European Tour and other events. The USGA Equity and Gender Policy applies to the US Women’s Open, the US Senior Women’s Open and any other USGA championships, including qualifying.
In the introduction to his new policythe LPGA wrote: “In consulting with leading experts in the fields of medicine, science, sports physiology and golf performance, we have been informed that a player’s exposure to male puberty provides beneficial physical advantages to golf performance compared to players who did not have such exposure.
“The LPGA has updated its gender policy for competition eligibility to maintain the fairness and integrity of our elite competitions while providing an inclusive environment for the broader LPGA community, which remains accessible to all women for non-elite events and activities.”
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The USGA also cited “scientific studies” reaching the same conclusion. Managing director Mike Whan said in a statement that the organization has “made changes to our eligibility criteria that reflect current science and strives to maintain competitive integrity.” Our updated policy reflects a thoughtful and thorough process during which the USGA consulted with leading healthcare professionals around the world.
Both organizations will require athletes assigned male at birth and wishing to compete in elite women’s events to demonstrate to the satisfaction of a medical committee that they meet requirements, including not having experienced male puberty beyond of the first stage of physical changes (or, in the case of the LPGA, aged 12, whichever comes first) and having a testosterone level at or below the indicated limit.
Before the latest policy, the LPGA adapted its guidelines in 2010 that allowed transgender women who had undergone at least a year of hormone therapy and a gonadectomy to participate in its events. But the participation of transgender athletes in women’s sports has become a national hot topicand Davidson’s recent success has helped bring the issue to the forefront in golf.
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Retired LPGA player and Independent Women’s Forum ambassador Amy Olson helped lead the charge for policy change. She recently told Golf Monthly that she and more than 250 of her peers signed a letter to the LPGA Tour expressing their concerns.
In a video posted on Instagram On Wednesday, Olson called the organizations’ decisions a “massive victory for female athletes.”
“This goes a long way to protecting fairness in women’s sports and recognizes that our chromosomal makeup actually affects our development in irreversible ways,” Olson said. “So thank you to the LPGA and the USGA for your courage and leadership on this issue and ensuring that we protect these opportunities for women.”
Davidson, who turned 32 on Wednesday, didn’t share Olson’s enthusiasm.
“What a great birthday gift for 2024” she wrote. “The greatest achievement I have ever had in my life was taken away from me.”
This story was originally published in Los Angeles Times.
