Transgender woman Hailey Davidson banned from future NXXT golf events
Transgender woman Hailey Davidson reacts to the news she has been removed from the remaining golf events on the NXXT.
Transgender woman Hailey Davidson has been banned from competing in future tournaments on the NXXT Golf Tour after the circuit has ruled all competitors must be biological female at birth to participate.
The decision to ban Davidson, 30, from future NXXT tournaments under a new gender policy was announced on International Women's Day.
An NXXT statement concluded a decision was made in an effort to underscore the organisation's "commitment to maintaining the integrity of women's professional golf and ensuring fair competition."
Davidson has now been removed from the next three tournaments on the schedule despite having already signed up to play.
She was also lying second in the Player of the Year race as a result of winning once and finishing second twice in nine tournaments.
Davidson won the NXXT Women's Classic in January.
The decision to ban Davidson is a big blow for her LPGA Tour dream, too, with the top five players on the NXXT standings earning two Epson Tour exemptions each for next season.
The Epson Tour is the development feeder tour for the LPGA, so it is the equivalent of the Korn Ferry Tour to the PGA Tour and Challenge Tour to the DP World Tour.
NEW: Transgender golfer Hailey Davidson banned from NXXT Golf women's tour after the tour changed their eligibility criteria on International Women's Day.
This is how it's done
In January, Davidson won the NXXT Women's Classic in Orlando, Florida.
NXXT, who initially stuck… pic.twitter.com/mc4sdDglf2
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) March 8, 2024
Transgender woman Hailey Davidson banned from NXXT events
NXXT CEO Stuart McKinnon elaborated more on the decision to ban Davidson.
McKinnon said:
He added:
Davidson took to Instagram to reveal her frustration at the news, which she labelled a "slap in the face to all female athletes".
She posted:
Davidson also took aim at some of those closest to her following her NXXT ban.
She posted:
Davidson came closest to fulfilling her LPGA Tour dream in 2022 when she became the second transgender player to compete in an LPGA Q-School tournament.
But she failed to make the cut.
According to reports, the first transgender player to compete in a qualifier was Bobbi Lancaster, who was 63 at the time.
Davidson's first victory came on the National Women's Golf Association (NWGA) in 2021 when she took down a number of standout LPGA Tour players such as Paula Creamer.
She first underwent hormone treatments on 24 September 2015, and she then underwent gender reassignment surgery, which is a six-hour procedure required under the LPGA Tour's Gender Policy, in January 2021.
What do you make of the decision to ban Davidson from NXXT events? Share your thoughts and comments over on the GolfMagic social media channels.
