The LPGA and the USGA have updated gender policies that will require players to be assigned female at birth or to have transitioned to female before going through male puberty.

Players must be assigned female at birth or have transitioned to female before going through male puberty to compete in LPGA tournaments or the eight USGA championships for females under new gender policies published Wednesday.

The policies, which begin in 2025, follow more than a year of study involving medicine, science, sport physiology and gender policy law.

The updated policies would rule out eligibility for Hailey Davidson, who missed qualifying for the U.S. Women’s Open this year by one shot and came up short in LPGA Q-school.

Davidson, who turned 32 on Tuesday, began hormone treatments when she was in her early 20s in 2015 and in 2021 underwent gender-affirming surgery, which was required under the LPGA’s previous gender policy. She had won this year on a Florida mini-tour called NXXT Golf until the circuit announced in March that players had to be assigned female at birth.

  • athairmor@lemmy.world
    18·
    22 days ago

    Uh, no. This about professional golf. There aren’t “fat old people” playing on the pro tours. Strength is very much a factor. LPGA courses are shorter. Women’s average drive distance is about 45 yds shorter than the average for men.

    You obviously don’t understand golf and made a lot of assumptions there. This a fairly reasonable rule. Probably unnecessary but better than an outright ban.