R&A Bans Transgender Athletes From Competing In Women’s Golf Tournaments
The R&A, which governs golf in England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales and Northern Ireland has announced that transgender athletes will no longer be allowed to compete in womens professional and elite amateur championships.
The ruling brings the organisation into line with new policies established by both the LPGA (Ladies Professional Golf Association) and the USGA (US Golf Association).
The evidence shows that golf is a gender-affected sport in which male puberty confers a performance advantage, said Martin Slumbers, R&A chief executive. 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 these events, but can enter male professional and elite amateur championships organised by the R&A.
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 ruling has been welcomed by some as a necessary step to preserve fairness in women’s golf, while others have expressed concerns about the impact on transgender athletes who may be forced out of competition.