LPGA says its players must be female at birth or transition before puberty
Players must be assigned female at birth or transition to female before going through male puberty to compete in LPGA tournaments or the eight USGA women’s championships under the new gender policy released Wednesday.
The LPGA says the policy, which will begin in 2025, is the result of more than a year of research in medicine, science, sports physiology and gender policy.
The updated policy would exclude eligibility from Hailey Davidson, who missed qualifying for this year’s U.S. Women’s Open by one shot and fell short at the LPGA Q school.
Davidson, who turned 32 on Tuesday, began hormone treatments in 2015 in her early 20s and underwent gender-affirming surgery in 2021, which was required under the LPGA’s previous gender policy. She had won this year on a mini-tour of Florida called NXXT Golf until the circuit announced in March that players had to be assigned female at birth.
“Can’t say I didn’t see this coming,” Davidson wrote on an Instagram story on Wednesday. “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.”
By making it through the second phase of Q-school, Davidson would have had very limited status on the Epson Tour, the path to the LPGA.
The LPGA and USGA said their policies aimed to be inclusive of gender identities and expression while striving for equality in competition. The LPGA said its expert working group recommended that the effects of male puberty enabled competitive advantages in golf compared to players who had not gone through puberty.
“Our policies reflect a comprehensive, science-based and inclusive approach,” said LPGA Commissioner Mollie Marcoux Samaan, who announced Monday that she will step down in January. “The policy represents our ongoing commitment to ensuring everyone feels welcome within our organization, while maintaining the fairness and competitiveness of our elite leagues.”
Mike Whan, the former LPGA commissioner and now CEO of the USGA, said it developed the updated policy independently and later found it was similar to policies used in swimming, track and field and other sports.
“It starts with fair competition as a North Star,” Whan said. “We weren’t trying to get into politics, or state by state or anything like that. We simply said, ‘Where would someone – at least medically today – where do we think someone would have a competitive advantage in the field?’ And we had to draw a line.
“We needed to be able to walk into any women’s event and say with confidence that no one here has a competitive advantage based on their gender. And this policy delivers that.”
The “Competitive Fairness Gender Policy” for the USGA will go into effect for the 2025 championship season, which begins with the U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball in May. Qualifying began at the end of this year, although no transgender players took part.
“Will that change in the coming years as medicine changes? Probably,” Whan said. “But I think this stacks up today.”
The LPGA “Competition Gender Policy” would apply to the LPGA Tour, Epson Tour, Ladies European Tour and qualifying for the tours.
Players assigned male at birth must prove that they have not experienced any part of puberty after the first stage or after age 12, whichever comes first, and then meet the restriction standards for the testosterone levels.
The LPGA begins its 75th season on January 30 with the Tournament of Champions in Orlando, Florida.