The LPGA Tour finds itself at the epicenter of the polarizing debate over transgender inclusion in women’s sports as aspiring LPGA member Hailey Davidson teed off Tuesday in the second stage of the tour’s qualifying tournament. Davidson’s participation comes amid reports that 275 female golfers have signed a letter urging golf’s governing bodies to instate a “female at birth” requirement for women’s events.
Davidson, who narrowly missed qualifying for this year’s U.S. Women’s Open, carded a first-round 78 at Plantation Golf and Country Club in Venice, Florida, placing her well off the pace in the 194-player field. But her score seemed a side note as the golf world buzzed over the emerging challenge to the LPGA’s transgender participation policy.
LPGA Faces Pressure to Restrict Transgender Participation
The letter, reportedly shared by the Independent Women’s Forum and signed by current and former players from multiple tours, was sent August 19th to the LPGA, USGA, and International Golf Federation. The signatories argue that “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” and highlight “differences between the sexes – female and male – that specifically affect our sport of golf.”
For now, the LPGA allows transgender women to compete provided they undergo gender reassignment surgery after puberty and submit to required hormone therapy. Commissioner Mollie Marcoux Samaan informed players in an August memo that the tour would review its policy by year’s end with an eye towards potential changes for next season.
Davidson Defends LPGA’s Existing Policy
Davidson, who has been candid about her transition, defended the LPGA rules in March, writing on Instagram that “the policy is working pretty well” considering that no transgender player has approached the highest levels of the LPGA or developmental Epson Tour. The 29-year-old played men’s college golf before undergoing hormone treatments in 2015 and gender reassignment surgery in 2021.
There are differences between the sexes — female and male — that specifically affect our sport of golf.
– From the letter signed by 275 female golfers
Mini Tours Adopt “Female at Birth” Requirement
While the sport’s biggest tours have yet to amend their policies, some developmental circuits are moving to restrict transgender participation. Earlier this year, the Florida-based NXXT Golf Tour implemented a “female at birth” requirement after Davidson notched a win and three runner-up finishes on that circuit.
Arizona’s Cactus Tour made a similar move last month, reinstating its earlier “female at birth” policy. With two lower-level tours already restricting transgender athletes and a growing contingent of LPGA members lobbying for change, the pressure is mounting on the women’s game’s flagship tour to revisit its rules.
Transgender Participation Remains a Divisive Issue
As the LPGA navigates this sensitive issue, it finds itself at the forefront of a broader cultural and scientific debate over how to balance inclusion, competitive equity and fundamental notions of gender identity in sports. With impassioned voices on both sides and limited research into the physical impacts of gender transition on athletic performance, crafting policies that satisfy all stakeholders is a daunting challenge.
For Davidson, who advanced out of pre-qualifying with a tie for 42nd place, this week’s second stage in Venice marks another opportunity to chase her LPGA dreams against this turbulent backdrop. With 54 holes ahead and a tie for 171st after round one, she has ground to make up on the course. Off course, the transgender participation debate in women’s golf is seemingly just beginning.
