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Former LPGA Tour player Amy Olson has called out the Tour's gender policy in a recent interview. The gender policy of the circuit has been in the headlines throughout this year.
The LPGA's current policy allows self-identified women golfers who have undergone gonadectomy and have been on hormone therapy for at least a year to play on the Tour. Transgender golfer Hailey Davidson competed in the LPGA Tour Q-School, earning a spot on the Epson Tour. However, amid her participation, around 275 women golfers signed a letter to the US circuit, calling on the organization to tighten the guidelines related to the gender policy.
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Recently, Amy Olson, who announced her retirement from golf earlier this year, shared her opinion on the matter. She said (via Golf Monthly):
"[This issue] is really on people's minds now because it's right in front of us, but it's been there for 13 years - since we changed our policy... We want it to be female at birth - end of story. If you're born female, you're a female. If you're born male, you're a male.
"I do believe that the LPGA has heard us. I'm not sure if they'll have the courage to go that far, but I know they update their rules in December and so I'm really hoping that we have something to celebrate here in the next couple weeks."
Having turned pro in 2013, Olson competed for 11 years on the LPGA Tour. However, she did not win any tournaments. She also played in the Majors, twice narrowly missing out on winning. She was tied for second at the US Women's Open in 2020 and had the same finish at the Evian Championship in 2018.
Olivia Schmidt echoes Amy Olson's thoughts on LPGA Tour's gender policy
It's not Amy Olson alone who has spoken out about the gender policy of the LPGA Tour. Several other pro golfers, including Olivia Schmidt, shared the same opinion as her.
Last month, in an interview with the Independent Women's Forum for a documentary called "Tee Time: Keep Women's Golf Female," Schmidt asked for changes in the gender policy, saying (via Golf Monthly):
“I'm just praying that [the policy] gets changed, and I'm praying that we can find a way to kind of find some common ground in that and hopefully for the next generation of golfers. All I can hope is that I had a part in that and a part in history in this way."
Meanwhile, transgender golfer Hailey Davidson competed in the first qualifying stage of the LPGA Tour in October 2024, where she shot rounds of 78, 72, 71, and 72. She secured the 95th spot on the leaderboard, failing to qualify for the final stage of the LPGA Q-Series. However, she did earn an Epson Tour card for the 2024-25 season.
