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Hundreds of golfers have complained about the participation of Scottish-born transgender player Hailey Davidson in the penultimate stage of the LPGA Tour qualifying competition.
Davidson, a 31-year-old professional originally from Ayrshire but now based in Florida, said her intention was to “make Scotland proud” by securing a card on the women’s premier tour.
But after progressing to the first stage of Q-School in August, the former player of a US men’s university team was accused of acting “unfairly”, Amy Olson, a two-time major finalist, railing against Davidson being allowed to compete. “These women have worked too hard and too long to have to stand there and watch a man compete and take their place,” she said.
It has now emerged that this view is shared by many in the field, with the Independent Women’s Forum revealing that 275 of them signed a letter sent to the LPGA, the American Golf Association and the International Golf Federation, requesting Davidson’s withdrawal from the tournament.
“The male advantage in driving is estimated at around 30 percent”
“We all know that there cannot be equal sporting opportunities for women without a separate women’s golf category,” read the letter, as reported by sports website OutKick. “Yet the Ladies Professional Golf Association continues to propagate a policy that allows male athletes to qualify, compete and win in women’s golf, even as several national and international sports governing bodies and state legislatures reject more and more of these unjust and inequitable policies which harm women. athletes.
“LPGA policy does not explicitly state eligibility based on gender. It is essential for the integrity and fairness of women’s golf to have a clear and consistent participation policy based on the unchanging gender of the player. There are differences between the sexes – female and male – that specifically affect our sport of golf.
“The male advantage in ball handling is estimated to be around 30% in terms of performance; that’s a huge difference in the context of sport. Anatomical differences between men and women affect club head speed and regulate consistency at ball contact.
“Women have a higher average heart rate and face higher physiological demands when playing, especially at high altitudes. Anatomical differences are not eliminated by suppression of male testosterone. There is no way to turn a male into a female. Being a woman does not equate to being a man with reduced strength.
The LPGA considers golfers born male eligible if they have undergone gender reassignment surgery and meet the requirements for hormone therapy. Davidson meets these requirements after undergoing gender reassignment surgery in 2021.
Davidson, who nearly qualified for the US Women’s Open in June, remained unapologetic and instead lashed out at the detractors. “I will never understand athletes who blame a transgender competitor for their own athletic failures,” Davidson wrote on Instagram. “If you don’t take responsibility for your failures, you will never be good enough to succeed.”
With 195 players starting, and only those finishing in the top 35 tied to qualify for the finals in December, it’s a tall order, even if all Davidson needs is to finish all 72 holes in Venice, Florida, to secure his status on the Epson. Tour, the main feeder league of the LPGA.
Mimi Rhodes, former winner of the Justin Rose Junior Telegraph Championship and hero of last month’s Curtis Cup, is also in the running at Plantation Country Club.
