HACKENSACK, N.J. (AP) — A transgender woman seeking to compete in women's USGA events has filed a lawsuit claiming that a policy change adopted in 2024 unlawfully barred her from participating in a U.S. Women's Open qualifier last year.
Hailey Davidson named the golf club hosting the qualifier along with the USGA, the LPGA and three LPGA officials in a lawsuit filed Thursday in New Jersey. She's seeking unspecified damages.
The USGA and LPGA changed gender policies for events in 2025 and beyond, declaring that players must be assigned female at birth or have transitioned to female before going through male puberty to be eligible to compete.
The 33-year-old Davidson didn't transition until after puberty. She competed in a U.S. Open qualifier and LPGA Qualifying School under a different policy in 2024, falling short in both efforts.
The LPGA said in a statement it was aware of the lawsuit and would “let that process play out on the proper forum.”
“The LPGA's gender policy was developed through a thoughtful, expert-informed process and is grounded in protecting the competitive integrity of elite women's golf,” the statement said.
Davidson claimed in the lawsuit that the new policy effectively bans transgender women from competing in USGA women's events or the LPGA because many states prevent children from taking hormones or blocking puberty.
When the USGA denied her entry into the qualifier, Davidson claimed the Hackensack Golf Club violated the law by saying the USGA controlled all decisions regarding eligibility.
Davidson began hormone treatments in her early 20s in 2015 and in 2021 underwent gender-affirming surgery, which was required under the LPGA’s previous gender policy. She won two years ago on a Florida mini-tour until that circuit later announced that players had to be assigned female at birth.
AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
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