LONDON (Reuters) - Transgender players will no longer be able to enter female professional and elite golf tournaments after the R&A introduced a new fair competition policy on Thursday.
The protocols, developed following extensive consultation with medical and scientific experts, mean players must have been female at birth or transitioned before the onset of male puberty to be eligible to compete in female events.
"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," Martin Slumbers, CEO of golf governing body the R&A, said in a statement.
"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 new policy will commence at the start of 2025 but will not apply at a recreational level where the World Handicap System enables golfers to play and compete regardless of age, ability, background or gender.
(Reporting by Martyn Herman; Editing by Toby Davis)
