The LPGA and U.S. Golf Association announced Wednesday that they will no longer allow post-pubescent males who identify as female to compete in their elite events, a major policy reversal that staves off an ongoing tour card bid from a transgender player.
Under the updated rules, men who identify as women but have gone through male puberty are ineligible to compete on the top tours, including the LPGA Tour, the Epson Tour and the Ladies European Tour, starting with the 2025 season.
The LPGA said its policy was developed “with input from a broad array of stakeholders,” including “experts in medicine, science, sports physiology, golf performance and gender policy law.”
“Our policy is reflective of an extensive, science-based and inclusive approach,” LPGA Commissioner Mollie Marcoux Samaan said in a statement. “The policy represents our continued commitment to ensuring that all feel welcome within our organization, while preserving the fairness and competitive equity of our elite competitions.”
The LPGA had previously allowed players to compete based on gender identity, but had come under pressure to ban male-born athletes as transgender golfer Hailey Davidson rose through the ranks of the developmental tours.
In October, the 31-year-old Davidson earned limited status for the 2025 Epson Tour after tying for 92nd at the LPGA Q-Series qualifying stage in Venice, Florida.
A former men’s NCAA Division II and III golfer, Davidson blasted the revised policies.
“Can’t say I didn’t see this coming,” Davidson wrote Wednesday on an Instagram story. “Banned from the Epson and the LPGA. All the silence and people wanting to stay ‘neutral’ thanks for absolutely nothing. This happened because of all your silence.”
Davidson added: “What a great birthday present for 2024. Having my greatest achievement I’ve earned in my life taken from me.”
Davidson won three times on the NXXT Women’s Pro Tour — and came within one stroke of qualifying for the 2024 U.S. Women’s Open — after which the NXXT tour revised its transgender policy to exclude any player who is “not a biological female at birth.”
That standard is higher than that of the newly updated USGA and LPGA policies, which would in theory allow male-born players who began taking puberty blockers at an early age and maintained strict control of their testosterone levels.
Under the USGA Competitive Fairness Gender Policy and the LPGA Gender Policy for Competition Eligibility, biological males would be eligible for women’s events only if they have not undergone any part of male puberty beyond Tanner Stage 2 or age 12, whichever comes first.
In addition, players must show that they have continuously their testosterone in serum below 2.5 nmol/L, a level at the top of the female range.
Transgender athletes who cannot meet those standards may still be eligible for recreational programs and non-elite events that “utilize different criteria to provide opportunities for participation in the broader LPGA community,” the association said.
BREAKING: LPGA has updated their gender eligibility requirements to ban men from women’s golf.
— Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) December 4, 2024
“The effects of male puberty confer competitive advantages in golf performance compared to players who have not undergone male puberty.”
The “L” in LPGA means something again! pic.twitter.com/aiYXzcQrZp
Women’s sports advocates commended the decision by the premiere governing bodies for women’s professional golf to raise the bar for transgender participation.
“Thrilled that the LPGA took a huge step toward actually being the Ladies Professional Golf Association,” said May Mailman, Independent Women’s Law Center director. “While the policy leaves the door open for males put on drugs before puberty, this announcement is a monumental directional change that acknowledges women deserve fair, single-sex athletics.”
The Independent Women’s Forum had previously urged the LPGA and USGA to ban male-born golfers, releasing a documentary series called “Tee Time: Keep Women’s Golf Female” that told the stories of female golfers “forced to share the course with and compete against male golfers.”
“This is a positive step forward, recognizing that an individual’s chromosomes affect their physical development in ways that are irreversible,” said LPGA 10-year veteran golfer Amy Olson, an IWF ambassador.
Both the USGA and LPGA left the door open for golfers to compete based on gender identity in non-elite competitions or recreational leagues with different eligibility criteria.
The USGA said the rules on elite competition are necessary to “ensure that competitive fairness is maintained.”
“As a steward for the game and all who wish to play, the USGA is welcoming of all gender identities and gender expressions,” the USGA said. “At the same time, with respect to elite-level competitions, which include USGA Championships (as defined below) and USGA Team (as defined below) events, the organization is committed to ensuring that competitive fairness is maintained for all athletes competing in our events.”
• Valerie Richardson can be reached at vrichardson@washingtontimes.com.
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