'Misinformed hatred': Transgender golfer says he doesn't understand backlash after winning women's tournament



A male golfer competing against women said he didn't understand why he faced criticism after winning a women's golf tournament.

Hailey Davidson, a 31-year-old golfer who was born a man, recently won the NXXT Women’s Classic tournament. The win in the women's tournament propelled Davidson to the top of the NXXT tour's leaderboard.

The golfer and governing body received swift backlash, with Davidson stating on multiple platforms that he didn't understand why he would be facing such criticisms.

"It’s crazy the amount of misinformed hatred I have received so far today," Davidson wrote, according to the New York Post. "All of these people [think] I hit it 300 yards or even 280 yards. How about 250 on a good day."

Davidson was later asked by "Good Morning Britain" if he thought males have an inherent advantage against women in sports.

"Men do have advantages, so you get a trans person on hormones for a year, no surgery, nothing, of course for the most part they're going to have an advantage," he replied.

Davidson underwent gender reassignment surgery three years before his controversy began.

"I don't believe people should be banned from sports, but I do believe there should be guidelines in effect," he continued. "I don't understand it, I don't get what the fear of me, one person, is doing."

Davidson also told the U.K. program that he had received numerous death threats within days of his victory in the women's tournament.

Transgender golfer, Hailey Davidson, says she fears for her safety after winning a place on a US tour designed to provide 'growth opportunities' for female players. \n\nShe has been accused of having an unfair advantage because she can hit a ball further than a female born player.
— (@)

The NXXT Women's Pro Tour responded to outcries and said they would subject Davidson to further hormonal testing.

"In maintaining the integrity of our standards, we have requested Hailey Davidson to undergo additional testosterone testing to ensure compliance with the appropriate guidelines," CEO Stuart McKinnon wrote in a blog post.

Davidson has reacted to comments in multiple Instagram posts, citing misinformation on the part of his critics.

"While this win was amazing, unlike every article is saying, I am so incredibly far from the LPGA Tour. ... I will never allow hate to win, especially when based in some misinformation," the golfer wrote.

In another post, Davidson explained that he doesn't "have the resume of most other professional female golfers."

He qualified that statement only by saying that he didn't go to a big Division I school, nor did he compete in a major tournament.

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Nobody Needs Testing To Prove Hailey Davidson Shouldn’t Compete Against Women

Men with low testosterone are not women. Yet they are allowed to cheat victories away from hardworking female athletes.

Transgender golfer, a biological male, wins women's mini-tour event, now hopes to break into the LPGA



A transgender golfer who competed in college on a men's team recently won a women's mini-tour event and now hopes to compete in the Ladies Professional Golf Association.

Hailey Davidson, who underwent sex reassignment surgery in January, shot 2 under par over two rounds last week in the National Women's Golf Association match at Providence Golf Club in Orlando, Florida, edging LPGA player Perrine Delacour by one stroke win the event.

That very same day the United States Golf Association revealed that Davidson met its gender policy eligibility criteria and would be able to compete in the organization's events, GolfWeek reported.

According to the news outlet, the 28-year-old golfer hopes to hear similar news from the LPGA soon.

"I'm not just going to be stuck on mini-tours," said Davidson, who reportedly last competed as a male in 2015 at a U.S. Open qualifying tournament in Jupiter, Florida.

With the win last week, Davidson is believed to have become the first transgender person to win a professional golf tournament in the U.S.

In a statement to GolfWeek, the LPGA's chief tour operations officer, Heather Daly-Donofrio, said, "We are currently reviewing Hailey's application to participate in LPGA Tour events under the LPGA's gender policy. The policy is designed to be a private and confidential process between the LPGA and the athlete."

Davidson, who currently works in social media for NBC's Peacock division under the Golf Channel umbrella, reportedly started taking hormone treatments in preparation for a sex change in 2015. Before that, Davidson played on the men's golf team at Christopher Newport University.

GolfWeek reported that since beginning hormone treatment, Davidson's swing has lost 9 mph, resulting in drives from the tee that are now 30 yards shorter. Davidson has also reportedly lost 90 pounds over the last year and has avoided weight training of any kind to trim muscle mass.

"Any advantage that existed is fully gone," the athlete insisted.

In 2010, after a transgender person filed a lawsuit against the tour, the LPGA eliminated its requirement that players be "female at birth." Then earlier this year, the organization removed a rule that specified that transgender golfers had to wait two years after sex reassignment surgeries to compete.

The changes, which alongside significant cultural pressure, could help Davidson became the first biological male to ever make it into the nation's top women's professional golf tour.