Hailey Davidson is one of 100 players who advanced from the initial stage of the LPGA Tour qualifying series on Sunday, getting into the second stage of three to potentially earn LPGA Tour status for 2025.
Davidson shot 4-under 284 in the 72-hole event played across three courses at Mission Hills Country Club in Mission Viejo, Calif., finishing tied for 42nd place and 12 shots back of Pre-Qualifying medalist, amateur Ashley Menne. Menne is 22 years old, played collegiate golf out of Arizona State University and is a three-time participant in the Augusta National Women's Amateur.
Davidson played college golf as a male at Wilmington University in Delaware and then transferred to the men’s team at Christopher Newport University in Virginia. In September 2015, Davidson began undergoing hormone treatments in preparation for a gender transition. In January 2021, Davidson underwent gender reassignment surgery, which is required under the LPGA’s Gender Policy.
The LPGA's Gender Policy states that "individuals who have undergone gender reassignment from male to female after puberty are eligible for membership and/or participation in tournaments, provided they comply with the eligibility requirements." The requirements include providing a satisfactory written declaration that the individual's gender identity is female "which cannot be changed, for sporting purposes, for a minimum of four years following the first date in which she participates in a tournament as a transgender athlete."
The applicant must have "undergone gender reassignment surgery (i.e., a gonadectomy) prior to submitting an application for membership or entering the tournament and must have undergone, for at least one 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)." The player must also "demonstrate that she is ready, willing and able to continue to maintain such levels for so long as she continues to compete in tournaments."
Those who have undergone gender reassignment from male to female prior to puberty are not subject to the requirements. Additionally, 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 LPGA Q-Series Pre-Qualifying tournament featured some 300 players spread across three courses in the first 54 holes of the tournament. After each player got a round on the Palmer Course and Dinah Shore Course at Mission Hills Country Club, as well as at Indian Wells Country Club, a cut was made to leave 129 players to complete a final round at the Dinah Shore Course at Mission Hills Country Club. The top 95 players and ties advanced to the Qualifying stage of the three-stage series.
The next stage of Q-Series is the Qualifying round, which will be played Oct. 15-18 at Plantation Golf and Country Club (Bobcat and Panther courses) in Venice, Fla. The top finishers from that round will then move on to the LPGA Q-Series Final Qualifying which determines the fate of approximately 25 LPGA Tour cards for 2025. However, those who complete all four rounds of the Qualifying round but do not advance to Final Qualifying will receive Epson Tour status based on their finish. All players who complete at least four rounds during Final Qualifying will secure 2025 Epson Tour status.
Davidson has largely played on mini-tours against competition that is not currently on the LPGA Tour. Davidson has seen some success in these competitions, including on the NXXT Women's Pro Tour. In January 2024, Davidson won a third-career NXXT Women's Pro Tour title, with fields typically significantly smaller than LPGA Tour or Epson Tour events. That win ignited another round of criticism for the developmental tour for allowing Davidson to compete, despite meeting all of the Tour's requirements to compete, including regular hormonal testing.
In March, the NXXT Women's Pro Tour announced a ban of all transgender players on International Women's Day, in what the tour called an effort to "protect competitive integrity."
In announcing the change, the tour said, "Effective immediately, competitors must be a biological female at birth to participate. This decision underscores the organization’s commitment to maintaining the integrity of women's professional golf and ensuring fair competition."
The decision followed a similar announcement from the Cactus Tour, an Arizona-based competitor to NXXT, to reinstitute their "female-at-birth" eligibility requirement.
