Transgender woman golfer wins Florida mini tourney, sets sight on LPGA tour
A transgender golfer won a women’s event in Florida, even as she’s setting her sights on joining the tournament organized by the prestigious Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA).
USA Today’s Golfweek reported that Hailey Davidson topped the NXXT Women’s Classic last Jan. 17, which isn’t too far from the season-opening of the LPGA’s Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions.
She had a total score of 1,320 points, 150 points ahead of the second placer.
The top five earners of the NXXT tournament will be exempted from the feeder tour for the LPGA sponsored by Epson Tour.
But that might not be the case for Davidson, according to Golfweek, since to receive an Epson Tour exemption, the NXXT must have a minimum of 10 events with an average of 40 players.
To date, the NXXT fields haven’t met the quota. Davidson beat 24 players in the three-round event.
The NXXT tour runs until March, and Davidson should then win an Epson Tour event to achieve status on that tour. A top-10 finish in an Epson Tour event as a non-member would secure her a spot in the next week’s field, Golfweek reported.
On Instagram, Davidson said that while her win was “amazing,” she’s “so incredibly far from the LPGA Tour with a lot of work to be done to possibly earn my way there one day.”
“It’s always interesting how no one gets angry until there is any form of success,” she said.
"I will never allow hate to win, especially when based in misinformation."
Davidson began her hormone treatments in 2015 and underwent gender reassignment surgery in 2021.
She’s the first transgender golfer to win a professional women’s event in 2021.
The LPGA Tour removed its “female at birth” policy in 2010.