Hailey Davidson’s LPGA quest comes to a grinding halt for now. The NXXT Tour that the transgender golfer played in made a sudden rule change, banning Davidson from teeing up at the mini-tour. NXXT announced on International Women’s Day that, effective immediately, all players will be required to be biologically female at birth to maintain “competitive integrity” in women’s sports.

The policy change adversely affects Davidson, who underwent gender reassignment surgery in 2021 after six years of hormone therapy. Regardless, the Scottish pro’s dominance in the NXXT Tour caught national attention after NXXT partnered with Epson Tour, a feeder for the LPGA Tour. Despite the rule change, Davidson refuses to back down. Making a promise to “ALWAYS get back up and keep fighting till the end,” the Florida-based golfer shared her thoughts on the policy reversal.

Hailey Davidson has a message for her detractors

Hailey Davidson shared the news on her Instagram story, writing that she had already signed up for the next three events on the calendar, which she was also “approved to play.” Davidson is currently second in the Road to Epson Tour standings, 99 points short of leader Maria Bohorquez. When Davidson won for the first time in the Tour, many pointed out that she had an unfair physical advantage over her peers and could easily outdrive them. However, Davidson wants them to look at the bigger picture.

“Do people not understand how good LPGA players are and how far they hit it? As a player, if you are upset at me getting to play with my distance (245 yards), you will never make it to the LPGA Tour.” For context, Jin Young Ko, 100th on the average driving distance in the LPGA Tour, hits 246.375 yards on average. Last year, Polly Mack averaged around 281 yards to top the chart. Notably, Lexi Thompson thrashed a 316-yard drive at the Shriner’s Children’s Open last October.

Davidson pointed out that many think she can win every tournament she plays, which is not the case. Noting how that diminishes the effort put in by female golfers, Davidson added in her Instagram story, “This is just a slap in the face to ALL the female athletes being told that any male can transition and beat them regardless of the life of hard work those women put in. You think you are attacking me, but you are actually attacking and putting down ALL other female athletes.” The NXXT Tour decision comes after Davidson’s status at the top of the leaderboard raised calls for a policy reversal.

Why was Davidson at the center of the controversy?

Netizens thought that Davidson’s triumphs would open the doors for an LPGA entry. NXXT has a tie with the Epson Tour, through which five players will earn two exemptions from Epson. However, as Beth Ann Nichols pointed out in Golfweek, the mini-tour was falling short of the criteria, bringing an average of 40 players in at least 10 events. 

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In the wake of the furor, NXXT organizers also conducted an anonymous poll among its players. The results, however, were not disclosed publicly. Additionally, they also directed Hailey Davidson to undergo further testosterone testing. 

NXXT’s policy reversal comes after a similar decision by Cactus Tour on February 7, the National Girls and Women in Sports Day. Interestingly, the LPGA still allows transgender players to compete. The rule is binding upon LPGA Tour, LET, and Epson as well, but not NXXT. The LPGA Tour removed the ‘female at birth’ requirement in 2010. Hailey Davidson tried her luck at the LPGA Tour Q-School in 2021. The very next year, she gave another shot, this time missing the 54-hole cut by a single stroke. 

FINA, the international swimming body faced with a similar dilemma, banned all trans women from taking part in female sports. Currently, in 18 states, transgender students are barred from entering female sports.

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