Transgender golfer Hailey Davidson has expressed her frustration following the recent announcement that her chances of competing on the LPGA Tour have been significantly diminished. The 31-year-old athlete had been working towards securing her place in women’s professional golf, participating in various qualifying events over the past year.
Davidson aimed to make her mark on the LPGA Tour after earning a spot on the Epson Tour, a key pathway to the main tour, through her performance at Q-School this fall. However, her prospects were abruptly affected when the LPGA Tour revealed a substantial change in its gender policy on Wednesday.
Starting in 2025, the LPGA will require players to be assigned female at birth or have transitioned to female before undergoing male puberty to compete in LPGA tournaments and the eight USGA championships for women. This shift has ignited strong reactions, particularly from Davidson, who took to Instagram to voice her criticisms.
In her post, Davidson remarked, “Can’t say I didn’t see this coming. Banned from the Epson and LPGA. All the silence and people wanting to stay ‘neutral’ thanks for absolutely nothing. This happened because of all your silence.” She further highlighted the serious mental health implications for transgender individuals, noting that the suicide rate among transgender people often hovers around 50%.
Davidson’s journey in competitive golf has been challenging; she narrowly missed qualifying for the US Women’s Open this year and faced obstacles in LPGA Q-School. After competing as a male golfer until 2015, she began hormone therapy and underwent gender reassignment surgery in 2021.
She added, “What a great birthday present for 2024. Having the greatest achievement I’ve earned in my life taken from me.”
The LPGA initially supported an inclusive policy for transgender athletes who had surgery post-male puberty, removing the requirement for golfers to be ‘female at birth’ back in 2010. However, the recent reversal on their gender policy, effective in the New Year, has caught many by surprise.
Under the new rules, players assigned male at birth must provide evidence that they have not experienced puberty beyond the first stage or after age 12, alongside meeting specific testosterone level limitations.
