Picture credit: lpga.com
The LPGA Tour announced a significant change to its gender policy on Wednesday, a move that could have major implications for transgender players.
Over the past year, women’s golf has faced growing controversy, with several professionals urging the tour to revise its rules to restrict trans athletes like Hailey Davidson from competing.
Since 2010, the LPGA had maintained an inclusion policy allowing transgender athletes who underwent surgery after male puberty to participate, following the removal of its previous requirement that golfers be “female at birth.”
The organisation has reversed its stance with an updated gender policy set to take effect in 2025. Under the new rules, players must either be assigned female at birth or have completed their transition to female before undergoing male puberty to be eligible to compete in LPGA tournaments or the eight USGA championships for women.
‘Under the new policy, athletes who are assigned female at birth are eligible to compete on the LPGA Tour, Epson Tour, Ladies European Tour, and in all other elite LPGA competitions,’ a statement from the tour read.
‘Players assigned male at birth and who have gone through male puberty are not eligible to compete in the aforementioned events.’
Players assigned male at birth must prove they have not experienced any part of puberty beyond the first stage or after age 12, whichever comes first, and then meet limitation standards for testosterone levels.
The LPGA and USGA say their policies were geared toward being inclusive of gender identities and expression while striving for equity in competition. The LPGA said its working group of experts advised that the effects of male puberty allowed for competitive advantages in golf compared with players who had not gone through puberty.
“Our policy is reflective of an extensive, science-based and inclusive approach,” said LPGA commissioner Mollie Marcoux Samaan, who announced on Monday that she is resigning in January. “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.”
Mike Whan, the former LPGA commissioner and now CEO of the USGA, said it developed the updated policy independently and later discovered it was similar to those used by swimming, track and field, and other sports.
“It starts with competitive fairness as the North star,” Whan said. “We tried not to get into politics, or state by state or any of that stuff. We just simply said, ‘Where would somebody – at least medically today – where do we believe somebody would have a competitive advantage in the field?’ And we needed to draw a line.
“We needed to be able to walk into any women’s event and say with confidence that nobody here has a competitive advantage based on their gender. And this policy delivers that.”
The “Competitive Fairness Gender Policy” for the USGA takes effect for the 2025 championship season that starts with the US Women’s Amateur Four-Ball in May. Qualifying began late this year, though there were no transgender players who took part.
“Will that change in the years to come as medicine changes? Probably,” Whan said. “But I think today this stacks up.”
The LPGA “Gender Policy for Competition Eligibility” would apply to the LPGA Tour, Epson Tour, Ladies European Tour and qualifying for the tours.
Players assigned male at birth must prove they have not experienced any part of puberty beyond the first stage or after age 12, whichever comes first, and then meet limitation standards for testosterone levels.
The LPGA begins its 75th season on 30 January with the Tournament of Champions in Orlando, Florida.
