The LPGA and the USGA have updated their 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.

  • @Warl0k3
    2•8 days ago

    Some of it is down to biology (more strong muscle, me hit ball further) some to womens equipment being more of an afterthought, and a good deal down to the disparity in practice / coaching time. It’s not one single factor, but it is a big one that does impact how a.rpund is played. Not arguing the ethics of the above rule, I don’t think I have a particularly good solution, just these are the factors in the sport.