The LPGA and USGA have announced changes to their gender policies.
The updates, which were released simultaneously on Wednesday morning, will require competitors in both LPGA and USGA women’s competitions to either be assigned female at birth or have transitioned to female prior to experiencing male puberty.
These changes are set to go into effect on Jan. 1, and both organizations will have a committee or panel to apply the gender guidelines and make eligibility determinations.
The LPGA’s new gender policy for competition eligibility, which covers LPGA, Epson Tour, Ladies European Tour and all other LPGA elite competitions, was developed with input from a “broad array of stakeholders and prioritizes the competitive integrity of women’s professional tournaments and elite amateur competitions,” according to a tour release. To satisfy the new rules, athletes who were assigned male at birth must not have experienced “any part of male puberty, either Beyond Tanner Stage 2 or after age 12 (whichever comes first)” and “since receiving gender reassignment treatment, they must have continuously maintained the concentration of testosterone in their serum below 2.5 nmol/L.”
The LPGA release also notes that professional golf still offers playing opportunities for “all athletes,” whether in “women’s events” or “open events, where any player, regardless of sex, is eligible to compete.”
“Our policy is reflective of an extensive, science-based and inclusive approach,” said outgoing LPGA commissioner Mollie Marcoux Samaan. “The policy represents our continued commitment to ensuring that all feel welcome within our organization, while preserving the fairness and competitive equity of our elite competitions.”
As for the USGA, its Competitive Fairness Gender Policy mostly aligns with that of the LPGA, though there is a slight difference in regard to athletes assigned female at birth. The USGA states that “transgender males” may compete in its women’s competitions provided that they “have never used exogenous testosterone or other similar anabolic androgenic substances, including in connection with gender-affirming care.” The LPGA requires players who have used “any growth or muscle promoting substance or method … in connection with any reassignment treatment” to demonstrate to the LPGA’s expert panel “that they do not have any continuing performance enhancing benefit from such use.”
In a release, the USGA stated, “Current scientific and medical research shows that sports performance differences exist between biological sexes and such differences begin to occur during the onset of puberty.”
Said USGA CEO Mike Whan: “We remain committed to providing opportunities for everyone to compete for a national title or team but have made changes to our eligibility criteria that reflects current scientific data and strives to maintain competitive integrity. Our updated policy reflects a thoughtful and thorough process during which the USGA consulted with leading medical professionals from around the world.”
