Trans golfer Hailey Davidson shares defiant message after US Women’s Open qualifier: ‘Never give up’

Trans golfer Hailey Davidson has shared a defiant message to transphobes after competing in the US Women’s Open qualifier, telling her fans to “never give up”.

Davidson, the first trans golfer to win a professional women’s event back in 2021, won an alternate spot for the US Women’s Open after just missing out on automatically qualifying by one stroke earlier this month. 

The golf pro, who was born in Scotland, finished in a three-way tie for third in the 36-hole qualifier at Bradenton Country Club. 

She then claimed the first alternate spot at the event against two-time LPGA Tour winner Jasmine Suwannapura, who claimed the second alternate, and fellow player Louise Olsson Campbell. 

Taking to Instagram on 15 May, Davidson addressed the transphobia following her win. She wrote: “I may not have been able to play in any tournaments these last couple of months but that didn’t stop me from continuing to put in the work into my game every single day to be ready for any next opportunity I may have to compete.

“Now to cross my fingers and hope for the best,” she continued. “No matter what, NEVER GIVE UP!,” she urged her followers.

“PS: I DO in fact have legal documentation from the USGA that allowed me to play in the first place so zero rules were broken as always,” she added, harking back to the constant criticism regarding her eligibility to play women’s professional golf. 

Davidson was subjected to cruel backlash and transphobia in January when she was forced to undergo further testosterone testing to verify her eligibility at a women’s pro tour event in Florida. 

More recently, the backlash came from a fellow golfer at the qualifier – who remained anonymous – and ridiculed her pronouns and her voice.

The anonymous golfer said to OutKick: “Best part was when he/him/she/her/it/the holed out [from] 40 feet off the green and goes ‘f**k yeah’ with the lowest male tone I heard all day.”

The player then proceeded to cruelly compare Davidson and other trans people to a castrated dog. “There’s not any other way to explain it [other] than if you neuter a male dog, it’s still a male dog,” the player said. “We never call them [a] female dog.”

Speaking out on 22 May in response to the hateful vitriol, Davidson said on her Instagram story that she’s “alternate number 18” for the US Women’s Open, “which means I have more chance of winning the lottery than getting into the tournament.

“Running out of any opportunities, ” she added.

Davidson also apologised for wrongly assuming who the player was who spoke to the publication. “I massively messed up there and apologise for what that may have done,” she said.