The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) banned biological males who have gone through puberty but identify as transgender athletes from competing against biological females on Wednesday in a major update to the organization’s “Gender Policy for Competition Eligibility.”
According to a Wednesday press release, under the LPGA’s updated policy, which will take effect in the 2025 golf season, “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.” However, the LGPA announced that “players assigned male at birth and who have gone through male puberty are not eligible to compete in the aforementioned events.”
The LPGA’s updated policy will still allow biological males to compete against women if they “have not experienced any part of male puberty either Beyond Tanner Stage 2 or after age 12 (whichever comes first).” Transgender athletes eligible to compete against women will be required to show that they have “continuously maintained the concentration of testosterone in their serum below 2.5 nmol/L.”
In Wednesday’s press release, the LPGA explained that the new policy banning transgender athletes from competing in women’s sports was determined in consultation with a “working group of top experts in medicine, science, sport physiology, golf performance and gender policy law” and was put together with “input from a broad array of stakeholders and prioritizes the competitive integrity of women’s professional tournaments and elite amateur competitions.”
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The LPGA noted that the group of experts advised the golf association that biological males who go through puberty have “competitive advantages” in the sport compared to athletes “who have not undergone male puberty.”
Highlighting the new policy, LPGA Commissioner Mollie Marcoux Samaan said, “Our policy is 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.”
The United States Golf Association (USGA) also announced the same updated requirements as the LPGA on Wednesday. The USGA acknowledged that scientific studies have confirmed that “sports performance differences exist between biological sexes” and that the differences are “primarily due to the exposure of substantially higher levels of testosterone in biological males during puberty and beyond.”
According to NBC News, the two golf associations’ policy updates will prevent Hailey Davidson, a transgender athlete, from competing in multiple top-level golf events. “Can’t say I didn’t see this coming,” Davidson stated in a story on his Instagram page. “Banned from the Epson and the LPGA.”
