Hailey Davidson, the Scottish-born transgender golfer based in Florida, has launched legal proceedings against the LPGA, USGA and Hackensack Golf Club in New Jersey.
The lawsuit alleges breaches of New Jersey's anti-discrimination legislation following Davidson's exclusion from a Women's U.S. Open qualifying event at the club last May.
Davidson's legal challenge comes after professional golf introduced a prohibition on transgender women competitors in January 2025, effectively ending her pursuit of an LPGA tour card.
The case centres on claims that both governing bodies worked in concert to prevent her participation in women's professional golf.
The legal filing contends that officials from both organisations engaged in a systematic effort to acquire Davidson's private medical information, using it to construct policies designed to bar her from the professional circuit.
According to the lawsuit, this pattern began when Davidson first made enquiries about eligibility policies in 2016.
Hailey Davidson, the Scottish-born transgender golfer based in Florida, has launched legal proceedings against the LPGA, USGA and Hackensack Golf Club in New Jersey
|"Both organisations exerted an incredible amount of control over Hailey's ability to play the game she loved and her personal medical information in an effort to unlawfully control her participation in women's golf," the court documents state.
Davidson's solicitor, Susan Cirilli, argued that the LPGA and USGA deliberately crafted regulations to exclude her client from competitions, including those held in jurisdictions where gender identity receives legal protection.
LATEST SPORTS NEWS:
Hailey Davidson pictured after winning a golf tournament
| INSTAGRAMDavidson has occupied a central position in debates surrounding transgender inclusion in professional golf since making history as the first trans player to claim victory at a professional tournament in 2021.
Davidson participated in LPGA qualifying school during 2021 and 2022, attracting criticism from those opposed to transgender participation.
Following a victory on the NXXT Tour early in 2024, that circuit swiftly implemented its own ban on transgender women competitors, a decision Davidson condemned as capitulating to external pressure.
"No one really cares when I'm not playing well, but as soon as you play well, the whole world ends," the golfer told Sky News in 2024, describing the reaction as "selective hatred."
Despite the policy changes, Davidson secured an alternate position for the U.S. Women's Open later in 2024.
In the year since the LPGA and USGA altered their eligibility rules, the Scottish-born star has maintained a training regimen and continued working hard behind the scenes.
Davidson is now preparing for a tryout next month with the Grass League Par 3 competition, where the golfer will partner with PGA professional and golf content creator Benni George.
The lawsuit documents a series of communications and events that the legal team argues demonstrate a coordinated approach by the governing bodies to implement the exclusionary policies.