Transgender golfer Hailey Davidson makes cut for next Q School stage, vies for LPGA Tour card
Transgender golfer Hailey Davidson has moved on to the next round of Q School as she vies for her LPGA Tour card.
Davidson had to finish among the top 95 golfers at Rancho Mirage in California this week during the LPGA Q-Series: Pre-Qualifying Stage.
After finishing with a final round of 71 (1-under), her four-round total was 284 to finish tied for 42nd.
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Davidson now moves on to the qualifying tournament, which will be held at Plantation Golf and Country Club in Venice, Florida, on Oct. 15-18. From there, if Davidson finishes among a certain number of golfers again, she can advance to the final qualifying tournament held in December in Mobile, Alabama.
Davidson shot 72, 72, 69, 71 in her four rounds this weekend to finish 4-under par.
The winner of the tournament, Ashley Menne, an amateur, was 16-under par after shooting 4-under (68) on the Dinah Shore Tournament Course, the same course Davidson shot 1-under on Sunday.
Davison, who nearly qualified for the U.S. Women’s Open this year, has caused controversy within the sport, particularly after comments about athletes who complained about competing against trans athletes like herself.
"I will never understand athletes who blame a transgender competitor on their own athletic failures," Davidson wrote on Instagram recently while practicing for Q School. "If you don’t take accountability for your failures then you will never actually be good enough to make it."
Davidson also spoke out after the NXXT Women’s Pro Tour announced back in March that eligible participants must be a "biological female at birth" in order to compete in events.
"Effective immediately, I have been removed (banned) from the next 3 NXXT tournaments that I already signed up for and been approved to play," Davidson wrote on her Instagram Stories at the time.
"They changed their policy mid season, after me signing up already and being 2nd in Player of the Year race."
Davidson won the Women’s Classic on Jan. 18, which marked her first victory in more than two years. It also put her in position to earn an Epson Tour exemption at the end of the season, which is the official qualifying tour of the LPGA.
However, the NXXT Women’s Pro Tour faced major backlash for Davison’s participation, and they changed the rules that effectively banned her from future competitions.
"The NXXT Women’s Pro Tour’s policies, especially concerning gender, have been formulated in alignment with those of the LPGA and USGA. This approach is crucial in maintaining the integrity of our partnership with the LPGA and ensuring a fair and consistent competitive environment," a statement from the Tour read at the time. "When Hailey Davidson joined the tour, she complied with these policies by providing necessary documentation, including validation from the LPGA and USGA, which also facilitated her participation in the 2022 Q-School."
Meanwhile, the LPGA currently has an inclusion policy for transgender athletes who undergo surgery after male puberty, stating 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."
Fox News' Ryan Gaydos and Paulina Dedaj contributed to this report.
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