R&A issues new policy on transgender golfers

The R&A has introduced a “fair competition policy” to determine the eligibility of transgender golfers to compete in its professional and elite amateur events.

From the start of 2025, a golfer entering female professional and elite amateur championships organised by The R&A must have been female at birth or transitioned to female before the onset of male puberty to be eligible to compete.

Players assigned male at birth and who have experienced male puberty are ineligible to compete in the events, but can enter male professional and elite amateur championships.

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The governing body says that the policy has been developed following “extensive consultation over the last year with medical and scientific experts who have reviewed the best available research on transgender participation in high performance sport.”

“The evidence shows that golf is a gender-affected sport in which male puberty confers a performance advantage,” an official press release read on Thursday.

It is noted that the requirements will not apply at a recreational level, which the R&A states that the sport “supports inclusivity through the World Handicap System, which enables golfers worldwide to play and compete together on a fair and equitable basis regardless of age, ability, background or gender.”

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Outgoing R&A chief executive Martin Slumbers said: “We have carefully reviewed the best available medical and scientific advice relating to participation in elite and scratch level golf competitions by transgender athletes and decided that updating our entry conditions to preserve fairness in our female professional and elite amateur championships is the right thing to do.

“While we believe that golf should be open to all and are committed to developing the sport, we recognise that we have a duty to ensure that in our elite competitions players can compete fairly and equally.”

The R&A’s fair competition policy announcement comes just a week after the LPGA updated its own rules on its gender policy.

The Competitive Fairness Gender Policy, which comes into effect from the start of the 2025 season, states that transgender women who have gone through male puberty will be ineligible from competing on the LPGA Tour.

It means that the Scottish-born Hailey Davidson, who transitioned after playing men’s college golf, will not be able to earn membership on the LPGA circuit.