WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, IW Features, the storytelling platform of Independent Women’s Forum (IWF), announced the release of Zoë Walker’s female athlete story, highlighting her journey as a professional golfer competing for a highly coveted spot on the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Tour. Walker’s story is the latest in IW Features’ documentary series: “Tee Time: Keep Women’s Golf Female,” which highlights stories from female golfers who have been forced to share the course with and compete against male golfers in the women’s division.
In 2010, the LPGA changed its participation policy to allow trans-identified male golfers to qualify, compete, and win in women’s golf — an effort the LPGA states will “assure fair competition for all members and participants.” According to the policy, men who self-identify as women and have undergone at least one year of hormone therapy and a gonadectomy — a surgical procedure to remove the male testes — are cleared by the LPGA in tournaments and eligible for membership open only to female athletes.
As a result, trans-identifying males are able to seek membership in LPGA Tour; Epson Tour, the official qualifying tour of the LPGA Tour; Ladies European Tour (LET); LET Access Series (LETAS), a professional golf tour for women and the official development tour to the Ladies European Tour; and LPGA Professionals.
Female athletes today face the consequences of the LPGA’s unfair and discriminatory policy. Zoë Walker and hundreds of other female professional golfers were forced this year to compete against Hailey Davidson, a male golfer who identifies as a woman, for a spot on the LPGA Tour. Davidson advanced to the LPGA’s Qualifying Series this summer and earned Epson Tour status for 2025, which is the main feeder to the LPGA Tour.
Walker is one of many women driving an internal movement of professional golfers advocating to keep women’s golf female. Walker enjoys the sisterhood and friendships she has developed by competing in the LPGA, so she wants to protect the integrity of women’s golf. She tells IW Features, in part:
“It’s just been awesome to meet these girls and be with like-minded girls. You’re out there alone competing day in and day out, but knowing that you have somebody off the course that you can talk to and that is like-minded is really awesome. I think the first time I was aware [men were competing in the LPGA] was on social media… and you saw these male figures winning on the tour, and it, of course, jumps off the page.”
WATCH Zoë Walker’s “TEE TIME” STORY HERE.
Allowing male golfers to compete in women’s events diminishes the years of dedication that female golfers devote to achieving excellence on the course. “Being a female athlete, we work hard to be here, and there’s man and female and it really shouldn’t be intertwined,” Walker told IW Features. “Topics like this can be super sensitive, but there’s more people that are like-minded, like myself and so many girls out here on the tour that feel the same way.”
In addition to Zoë Walker’s documentary, IW Features has released six other stories in its “Tee Time” series:
- Lauren Miller, who gained national attention after losing a first-place title at the 2024 NXXT Women’s Championship to Davidson, shares her story HERE.
- Dana Fall, a professional golfer who has competed on the LPGA and Epson Tour, is hoping to inspire other female golfers to join her in the fight to protect fair competition, sharing what being a golfer and living out her passion means to her HERE.
- Hannah Arnold, an IWF ambassador and professional golfer who wants to do everything she can to ensure that women have the right to compete fairly, shares her story HERE.
- Olivia Schmidt, a professional golfer who wants to help the next generation of female athletes, shares her story HERE.
- Cristiana Ciasca, a professional golfer who believes allowing male golfers to compete in women’s events erases years of training and sacrifices made by female golfers, shares her story HERE.
- Alison Crenshaw, a professional golfer who advocated for the biggest tours in women’s golf to stand up for their players, shares her story HERE.
The LPGA is not the only organization undermining women’s right to fair competition on the golf course. The United States Golf Association (USGA) and International Golf Federation (IGF) also allow male golfers to compete in women’s events, despite the fact that male golfers have an estimated 30% performance advantage in driving distance compared to female golfers.
Along with the “Tee Time” series, IW has launched a global letter campaign that equips the public with a form to send personalized letters to the leadership of LPGA, USGA, and IGF to demand the establishment of policies that would guarantee women’s golf is for female athletes only.
VISIT: IWF.ORG/KEEPWOMENSGOLFFEMALE
This campaign follows a series of letters to the LPGA, USGA, and IGF, signed by hundreds of female professional golfers, including Hannah Arnold, Lauren Miller, and Dana Fall, that outline numerous golf-specific findings of male athletic advantage that cannot be mitigated with testosterone suppression. Supporters can join IW’s ambassadors and take action HERE to ask the LPGA, USGA and IGF to reinstate sex-based eligibility requirements.
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