by WorldTribune Staff / 247 Real News October 22, 2024

Hailey Davidson teed off on Tuesday in hopes of becoming the first biological man to compete on the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) tour.

Davidson, 31, is competing in the LPGA Q-School’s four-round second stage for players seeking a tour card. The event is being held this week at the Plantation Golf and Country Club in Venice, Florida.

In January of this year, Hailey Davidson won the NXXT Women’s Classic in Orlando, Florida.

Davidson, who played men’s college golf at the Division II and III levels, advanced through the LPGA’s pre-qualifier by taking a share of 42nd place. The top 35 finishers in this week’s event receive a card for the 2025 Epson Tour, the LPGA’s official qualifying tour, and advance to the final LPGA qualifying round in December, according to Golf Week.

Davidson had primarily competed on NXXT Golf until the Florida-based mini tour announced in March that competitors must be a biological female at birth to participate. Davidson, a Scottish-born player who now lives in Florida, won three times on the NXXT Golf tour.

In one of the victories, Davidson defeated Lauren Miller in a playoff at the NXXT Women’s Championship in January.

Miller, who played college golf at Mississippi State, said that Davidson consistently drove about 10-20 yards farther than she did during the tournament, but on the playoff hole, Davidson outdrove Miller by 40-50 yards.

“Hailey beat me on that hole, so Hailey won the tournament,” Miller told the Independent Women’s Forum. “He even admitted that he ’swung out of his shoes.’ My boyfriend was caddying for me, and we both just looked at each other like, ’did you see that?’ ”

According to Golf Week, Davidson, who was born James Scott Davidson, last competed in men’s events in 2015. His last reported ranking in men’s events was 408th.

The LPGA is in the midst of reviewing its Gender Policy and will make any adjustments prior to the 2025 season.

Hundreds of female athletes have urged the tour to repeal its policy allowing male-to-female transgender golfers as long as they have undergone sex-change surgery and lowered their testosterone to LPGA-approved levels.

“LPGA policy does not explicitly state eligibility based on sex,” said an Independent Women’s Forum letter to the LPGA signed by more than 275 professional female golfers. “It is essential for the integrity and fairness of women’s golf to have a clear and consistent participation policy in place based on a player’s immutable sex.”

“It really is remarkable how little the LADIES Professional Golf Association cares about ladies,” All-American swimmer Riley Gaines, host of OutKick’s “Gaines on Girls,” said Tuesday on X.

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  Biological male tees off in quest to qualify for women’s professional golf tour, WorldTribune.com