Transgender Athletes Cannot Compete in Women's Golf Tournaments

USGA and LPGA Announce Hormone Level Standards
Davidson's LPGA Tour Q-Series Participation Opportunity
Failure to Qualify for Final Event, No Entry to Next Year's Regular Tour

A player who was originally male and then transitioned to female will not be allowed to participate in women's golf tournaments held in the United States starting next year.

Transgender golfer Hailey Davidson made headlines this year by entering the LPGA Tour Qualifying Series. Photo by Golfweek

The United States Golf Association (USGA) and the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Tour announced on the 4th (local time) that "a new rule has been introduced requiring transgender women who transitioned before male puberty to have testosterone levels below a specified threshold in order to compete in tournaments organized by the USGA and LPGA Tour. This new rule will take effect from 2025." The Epson Tour, the LPGA's developmental tour, and the European Ladies Tour (LET), affiliated with the LPGA Tour, will also apply this regulation. However, it does not apply to golf played as a hobby.

The USGA and LPGA Tour received assistance from top experts in medicine, science, sports physiology, and golf performance analysis. The two organizations explained, "There are performance differences in sports based on biological sex, and these differences arise from the onset of puberty," adding, "After puberty, there is a competitive advantage in golf performance."

The introduction of this system was sparked by Hailey Davidson (Scotland), a male golfer who underwent gender reassignment surgery, applying for the LPGA Tour Qualifying (Q) Series. Davidson played on the golf teams of Wilmington University and Christopher Newport University as a male player and also participated in the regional qualifiers for the 2015 US Open men's tournament.

When Davidson applied for the LPGA Tour Q Series, 275 female golfers sent a petition opposing her participation to the LPGA, USGA, and the International Golf Federation (IGF). They argued, "It is estimated that males have about a 30% advantage over females in the ability to hit the ball in golf. Anatomical differences between men and women significantly affect club head speed and consistency when striking the ball." Davidson did not advance to the final stage of the LPGA Tour Q Series.

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