Transgender golfer Hailey Davidson has earned an alternate first-place finish at the U.S. Women’s Open, prompting backlash from a female professional.
Davidson, 30, narrowly missed automatically qualifying for the women’s US Open by one stroke earlier this month, but still has a chance to compete in the major championship after securing the first alternate spot.
Davidson, who was born in Scotland, finished in a three-way tie for third place in a 36-hole qualifier at Bradenton Country Club.
She birdied the opening playoff hole to claim the alternate first spot ahead of two-time LPGA Tour winner Jasmine Suwannapura, who earned the alternate second spot, and pro Louise Olsson Campbell.
If enough players withdraw, Davidson will earn a spot in the 2024 U.S. Women’s Open, which will be played at Lancaster Country Club in Pennsylvania from May 30 to June 2.
Transgender golfer Hailey Davidson earned an alternate first place spot for the US Women’s Open.
She shared a photo of the USGA’s alternate instructions and wrote on social media: ‘So you’re telling me there’s a chance!!’
One of the 55 golfers who competed in qualifying in Florida said the decision to allow Davidson to compete in qualifying and potentially have a shot at the U.S. Open was unfair.
“It’s not fair,” the player said. Mark Harris of OutKick when asked if she thinks it’s fair for trans golfers to compete in women’s events.
‘There’s no other way to explain it than if you neuter a male dog, it’s still a male dog. We never call them bitches.
“I think if transgender golf is getting more attention, aka popular, then let’s do (a) trans open for them.”
The player, who wishes to remain anonymous, recalled a moment in the qualifying event when Davidson holed out from 40 feet from the green and celebrated by saying, ‘fuck yeah,’ in the ‘lowest masculine tone’ she had heard from anyone. day.
“Everyone was shocked and no one applauded,” the player said.
The LPGA’s gender policy, which also applies to Epson Tour, Ladies European Tour, LET Access Series and LPGA Professionals competitions, still allows trans women to compete.
Davidson, originally from Scotland, shared a photo of the USGA’s alternate instructions.
She urged her fans to “never give up” in the caption of her Instagram post last week.
He birdied the opening playoff hole to claim the alternate spot after a three-way tie for third place.
The LPGA Tour, which eliminated the requirement that golfers be “female at birth” in 2010, requires players to submit a written statement indicating that they identify as female, proof of gender reassignment surgery and evidence of at least one year of hormone therapy. Maintain testosterone levels in a specific range.
The USGA has also adopted a policy that allows biological male golfers to compete against biological women if they have undergone gender reassignment surgery and have met hormone therapy requirements.
“In consultation with medical, sports scientific and legal experts, we continue to review our current (gender) policy,” JD Sherba, LPGA director of public relations and executive communications, said in a statement provided to Outkick.
But the anonymous player responded to both the LPGA and the USGA for their policies.
‘I don’t agree with the LPGA and the USGA. (I’m) more worried about the future of daughters everywhere,’ the player stated.
‘All the women on the tour are working very hard to be on the tour and play golf for a living. Women’s sports are not a backup option for mediocre male athletes.’
Davidson had played in the NXXT, a women’s professional mini tour in Florida, and won the Women’s Classic at Mission Inn Resort and Club, a circuit event near Orlando in January.
The victory allowed the Scot to take another step towards the LPGA and the NXXT granted its five best players exemptions to the Epson Tour, one step below the top tier of women’s soccer.
The LPGA’s gender policy still allows trans women to compete (pictured: commissioner Mollie Marcoux Samaan)
Davidson is seen in 2015, before the transition.
News of the victory sparked anger online, with many highlighting how Davidson could probably hit the ball further than a player born female, leading to a U-turn by the NXXT.
The tour announced on International Women’s Day that it had reversed its gender policy and that, with immediate effect, competitors had to be biologically female at birth to participate.
Davidson last competed in NXXT at the Royal St. Cloud Women’s Championship in February, where she finished tied 24th with a score of ten over the tournament.
At the time, her lone win and two second-place finishes in nine events left her second in the Road to the Epson Tour standings.
Since being unable to compete for the past two and a half months, Davidson has fallen to fourth place, 200 points ahead of Lauren Peter in fifth place.
The top five scorers on the NXXT points list will earn two exemptions into courses on the Epson Tour, the LPGA’s developmental feeder tour.
Prior to his about-face, NXXT stated in January that it would require him to undergo “additional testing” in response to the initial reaction to Davidson’s win.
The move came despite his insistence that he no longer has any physiological advantage over his cisgender competitors.
She says she no longer has physiological advantages over her cisgender competitors.
By this time, Davidson had openly accepted the new regulations, although he continued to maintain that he possessed no advantage over his female biological rivals after nearly a decade of taking hormones.
“I win and people get scared. I play well and the whole world stops and says, ‘Oh, now I’m destroying women’s golf!’ and all that other stuff,” she told Sky Sports.
‘I recognize that I had an unfair advantage a few years ago. I’ve been transitioning for nine years, I’ve been on hormones for almost nine years. I had surgery exactly three years ago. I’ve lost almost 50 mph in swing speed.’
He added: “Trans athletes shouldn’t be banned, but at the same time, there needs to be regulations because it shouldn’t be a free for all.”
“I think with so many issues, we as a society just need to sit down and listen to each other instead of yelling at each other and hating each other.”
“I think we forget that people are actually human at the same time.”
NXXT also launched an anonymous survey among its players to gather their opinions on the circuit’s gender policy, the results of which had not been made public.
Davidson last competed as a men’s golfer in 2015, after which he began hormone therapy treatments and underwent gender reassignment surgery in 2021.
Davidson last competed as a men’s golfer in 2015, after which he began hormonal treatments.
The topic took center stage in 2022 with UPenn swimmer Lia Thomas, pictured, who began competing in women’s collegiate swimming 18 months after transition setting records.
While she failed to qualify that particular year, Davidson remained competitive in other tournaments, finishing a match just three shots behind 2010 US Women’s Open champion Paula Creamer.
Although professional bodies such as the LPGA and PGA established their own rules and regulations many years ago, more recently debates have arisen across the country about athletes competing in high school and college.
The topic took center stage in 2022 with UPenn swimmer Lia Thomas, who began competing in women’s collegiate swimming a year and a half after transitioning.
Thomas broke several women’s records, to the dismay of several of her teammates, and the NCAA and USA Swimming bodies were criticized for allowing Thomas to compete.