LPGA implements new policy limiting men's participation in women's golf

The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) has implemented a policy regulating the participation of trans-identified males in its competitions as concerns about ensuring fairness for female athletes persist.

In a statement published Wednesday, the LPGA unveiled an updated Gender Policy for Competition Eligibility slated to take effect on Jan. 1, 2025. The policy states that players who were born female “shall be eligible to participate in all LPGA activities and events.”

By contrast, players who were born male and seeking to participate in LPGA competitions must prove that their testosterone is below a certain level and submit an application outlining “a comprehensive medical history,” including “any reassignment surgeries or pharmacological [drugs] the [p]layer has undertaken, including the date(s) of any such procedures” as well as “any other relevant treatment the [p]layer has received (including pre- or post-reassignment [procedures]), including the dates, timing, dosage, and frequency of such [procedures].”

The decision about whether a trans-identified male can participate in women’s competitions rests in the hands of an “expert panel.” LPGA Commissioner Mollie Marcoux Samaan defended the new policy as “reflective of an extensive, science-based and inclusive approach.”

“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,” Samaan said.   

In October, a letter written by over 270 professional female golfers calling on the LPGA to ensure that trans-identified males could not compete was made public. The letter was written in August. At the time, a trans-identified male golfer named Hailey Davidson was competing in the second stage of the LPGA qualifying school. 

The letter pointed to the “enormous” biological differences between men and women as being the reasons why allowing men to compete in women’s golf competitions was unfair. 

“Anatomical differences between males and females affect clubhead speed and regulating consistency at ball contact,” the letter stated. “Females have higher mean heart rates and encounter greater physiological demands while playing, especially at high altitudes.”

Additional disadvantages experienced by female golfers identified in the letter include “a lower maximum velocity of the wrists, left wrist extension velocity, and clubhead velocity” compared to their male counterparts and the fact that “women take more time to reach peak arm speed and have lower peak wrist speeds than men.”

The United States Golf Association, which serves as the governing body of all golf events in the U.S., also released a new Competitive Fairness Gender Policy on Wednesday containing similar language and implementing new guidelines for participation in women’s golf events.

“We remain committed to providing opportunities for everyone to compete for a national title or team but have made changes to our eligibility criteria that reflects current scientific data and strives to maintain competitive integrity,” USGA CEO Mike Whan said in a statement.

“Our updated policy reflects a thoughtful and thorough process during which the USGA consulted with leading medical professionals from around the world.”

For his part, Davidson took issue with the changes, saying in a recent statement posted on social media that he cannot “say I didn’t see this coming.” 

“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 stated. 

The revisions of the policies at the LPGA and USGA come amid concerns about the fairness of trans-identified males competing in women’s sports in light of the biological differences between men and women.

These concerns were exacerbated when Lia (Will) Thomas, a trans-identified athlete at the University of Pennsylvania, began shattering women’s swimming records after joining the women’s swimming team at the university following three seasons of competition as a member of the men’s swimming team. 

More than two dozen states have enacted laws or regulations requiring athletes to compete on sports teams that correspond to their sex instead of their chosen gender identity: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, West Virginia and Wyoming. 

A report published by the United Nations earlier this year found that due to the participation of trans-identified males in women’s sports, “Over 600 female athletes in more than 400 competitions have lost more than 890 medals in 29 different sports.”