WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Independent Women’s Forum (IWF) and its professional female golfers who serve as ambassadors applaud the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) and United States Golf Association (USGA), two of the premiere governing bodies for women’s professional golf, for taking a significant step toward fairness in golf by prohibiting males who have transitioned after puberty from participating in women’s events. LPGA and USGA’s new policies reflect both the current science and the movement of hundreds of current and former female professional golfers who have been advocating for fairness and asking golf governing bodies to take a stand for female golfers. IWF calls on LPGA and USGA officials to maintain the tradition of women’s golf while ensuring a fair and level playing field for all participants by ultimately ensuring participation policies are consistent with differences between the sexes at birth—male and female—that affect the sport of golf.
This monumental rule change, effective starting with the 2025 season, comes on the heels of IWF’s global letter campaign, which drove more than 8,000 personalized letters, to demand the LPGA and USGA end participation policies that erase equal opportunity and the spirit of women’s professional golf.
Professional golfers and IWF ambassadors Lauren Miller, Hannah Arnold, Dana Fall, and Amy Olson have led a movement internally among 300+ female professional golfers to overturn the policies and restore fairness and integrity to their beloved sport and profession.
Miller, Arnold, Fall and Olson called attention to the urgent need for leading women’s golf organizations to reinstate fair participation policies in “Tee Time: Keep Women’s Golf Female,” an exclusive docu-series produced by IW Features, the grassroots storytelling and original journalism arm of IWF. The multi-part series features stories of female golfers who have been forced to share the course with and compete against male golfers in the women’s division, including Miller and Fall.
“Thrilled that the LPGA took a huge step toward actually being the Ladies Professional Golf Association. While the policy leaves the door open for males put on drugs before puberty, this announcement is a monumental directional change that acknowledges women deserve fair, single-sex athletics. IW stands ready to explain to the public and the courts that women’s sports are legal, and that the activists trying to tear down single-sex sports are destroying the progress our country has made for women,” said May Mailman, director of Independent Women’s Law Center.
“This is a positive step forward, recognizing that an individual’s chromosomes affect their physical development in ways that are irreversible,” said IWF ambassador and 10-year LPGA veteran golfer Amy Olson.
“This announcement from the LPGA and USGA gives me hope for the future of women’s golf. The movement of female professional golfers was essential and has been heard — we’ve stood up and said, ‘no more’. By acknowledging the distinctions between men and women, golf leadership is uniting with us in their desire to champion women and girls by restoring a space that prioritizes fair competition. Today, women have won,” said IWF Ambassador and current pro-golfer Lauren Miller.
“What a statement the LPGA and USGA just made. I’m proud to be part of an organization that leads by example. We are fortunate to compete in an incredible sport and I am blessed to know some amazing women that made this possible. Strong leadership is essential for growth,” said IWF ambassador and current pro-golfer Hannah Arnold.
“Today’s policy announcement is a huge win for women and girls in sports. The LPGA and USGA, the premiere bodies which dictate the rules of women’s golf, are standing up for fairness and the integrity of our sport. Today, the message sent to women is that we do matter, and they are working to return equal opportunity and protect fair sport for female athletes,” said IWF ambassador and current pro-golfer Dana Fall.
LPGA and USGA’s decision reflects key findings produced in IWF and Independent Women’s Law Center’s (IWLC) first-of-its kind report entitled, “Competition Report: Title IX, Male-Bodied Athletes, and the Threat To Women’s Sports,” including golf-specific findings IWF and IWLC outlined in a letter to the LPGA and USGA, such as an estimated 30% male performance advantage in driving distance compared to female golfers.
IWF urges the LPGA and USGA to consider findings outlined in the “Competition Report,” which details athletic advantages of biological males that cannot be mitigated through hormone therapy or puberty blockers. To protect women athletes, the LPGA and USGA must adopt participation policies that reflect the inherent differences between the sexes at birth and address the ongoing challenges to fairness in women’s golf.
###
Independent Women’s Forum is dedicated to developing and advancing policies that aren’t just well intended, but actually enhance people’s freedom, choices, and opportunities.