The LPGA Tour is deciding whether to ban male-born golfers in a move which could see Hailey Davidson lose the playing status the Scot took from Q-School this week.
Davidson missed out on the historic quest to become the first transgender golfer to win a card on the women’s premier circuit when failing by six shots to progress to the final stage, but still earned playing rights on the Epson Tour, the main feeder league.
However, rules might be introduced over the close season that would outlaw the 31-year-old from competing in the LPGA pyramid or from entering Q-School again and so – legal recourse aside – ending a controversy that has blighted the female game.
Davidson came within a shot of qualifying for the US Women’s Open in June, triggering a groundswell of opposition in the locker room. A letter signed by 275 professionals was recently sent to leading golf organisations urging the powers-that-be to ban male-born players from female competition.
‘Differences between the sexes affect our sport’
“It is essential for the integrity and fairness of women’s golf to have a clear and consistent participation policy in place based on a player’s immutable sex,” the letter penned by the Independent Women’s Forum said. “There are differences between the sexes – female and male – that specifically affect our sport of golf.”
The LPGA permits golfers with gender-affirming surgery after puberty to compete if they also meet hormone therapy requirements. Mollie Marcoux, the Tour’s commissioner, replied to the petition by revealing that an extensive review is ongoing and will be completed by the end of the year, with any changes implemented before next season.
Originally, the LPGA’s regulations demanded its players to be “female at birth”, but in 2010, after another transgender golfer filed a lawsuit, this requirement was dropped. It will be interesting to see Davidson’s reaction if the policy is reversed.
Prior to transition, the Ayrshire-born golfer earned a scholarship to the men’s team at Wilmington University and has remained in the US since, reportedly starting hormone treatments in 2015 before gender-affirming surgery in 2021.
After shooting a final-round 72 in Venice, Florida, Davidson refused to comment.