Hailey Davidson, a transgender golfer who nearly qualified for the U.S. Women’s Open earlier this year, took a shot at athletes who complain about competing against trans athletes.
Davidson, who was banned from the NXXT Women’s Pro Tour in March as the organization changed its eligibility standards earlier in the year, made the remark on Instagram.
“I will never understand athletes who blame a transgender competitor on their own athletic failures,” Davidson wrote seemingly out of the blue. “If you don’t take accountability for your failures then you will never actually be good enough to make it.”
Davidson posted a video Monday practicing pitch shots to the green as prep work began for Q School, which begins later this month. It could be an avenue for Davidson to qualify for the LPGA Tour.
“3 shots in the hole out of 15 total isn’t too bad,” she captioned the post with qualifiers starting at the end of the August. “I’m super excited for Q School coming up soon, especially after not playing last year.”
The LPGA has an inclusion policy for transgender athletes who undergo surgery after male puberty, which states that transgender athletes have an “avenue to membership and opportunity to participate in events, and in an effort to assure fair competition for all members and participants.”
“An applicant for membership or entry into a tournament that has undergone gender reassignment from male to female after puberty must identify herself during the application/entry process and provide proof of gender in accordance with this Policy,” the LPGA Tour says. “Failure to provide proof of gender when gender has been reassigned, and to comply with the process and procedures set forth in this Policy, may result in disqualification from eligibility for membership and/or entry into a tournament.
“If there is a genuine question as to the eligibility of any applicant, including via sponsor exemptions or qualifiers, the LPGA shall have the right, within its sole discretion, to require such athlete to substantiate her transitioned status in accordance with this Policy.”
The transgender athlete must have “undergone gender reassignment surgery prior to submitting an application for membership or entering the tournament.”
“The applicant must have undergone, for at least one (1) year, appropriate hormonal therapy and maintained testosterone levels in a verifiable manner sufficient to minimize or negate gender-related advantages in sport competitions, as determined by LPGA in consultation with its medical advisor(s), and demonstrate that she is ready, willing and able to continue to maintain such levels for so long as she continues to compete in tournaments,” the LPGA Tour says.
“For the avoidance of doubt, applicants transitioning to male who either declare their gender identity to be male or commence hormone treatment for such purpose will not be eligible for membership or entry into a tournament.”
The transgender athletes would also need medical documentation, including all notes from gender reassignment, hospital records pertaining to the surgery, records relating to follow-up treatment, lab results on testosterone levels, and “an executed Authorization for Release of Medical Information waiver form allowing LPGA medical advisor(s) to contact all treating physicians if deemed necessary.”
Davidson was named the first alternate for the U.S. Women’s Open in May but never got the chance to compete at the major.