R&A follows LPGA in updating policy on transgender women golfers

Transgender women who have gone through male puberty will not be allowed to compete in women’s golf tournaments organised by the R&A from the start of 2025.

The R&A, golf’s St Andrews-based governing body, has updated its rules on gender policy following an “extensive consultation” with medical and scientific experts.

It comes after the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) and United States Golf Association (USGA) updated their gender policies this month to exclude players who have gone through male puberty from women’s events.

“The evidence shows that golf is a gender-affected sport in which male puberty confers a performance advantage,” the R&A said.

The R&A, which governs golf’s rules outside the United States and Mexico, oversees women’s championships including the Women’s Open.

Chief executive Martin Slumbers said the R&A had a “duty to ensure that in our elite competitions players can compete fairly and equally”.

“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,” Slumbers said.

Governing bodies from sports including swimming and athletics have already banned transgender women from competing in the female category at elite level if they have gone through male puberty.