Transgender golfer Haley Davidson has responded to backlash for winning a tournament on the NXXT Women's Professional Golf Tour earlier this week.
Davidson won the NXXT Women's Classic in the playoffs.
Davidson wrote on Instagram. This victory placed her in first place in the race to earn Epson Tour exemption. The Epson Tour is an advanced version of the LPGA Tour.
The top 10 players on the Epson Tour graduate to the LPGA Tour.
Amid the backlash, Davidson posted about the criticism on her Instagram Stories.
“The amount of misguided hate I have received so far today is insane,” Davidson wrote. “All these people think I hit it 300 yards, even 280 yards. On a good day, maybe 250.”
Davidson leads the pack with 1,320 points. Dating back to November, Davidson had two second-place finishes and finished in the top 10 in each of the five events he competed in.
More than 600 Epson Tour alumni have earned membership on the LPGA Tour since its inception in 1999, according to the LPGA website.
The NXTT season has eight events remaining and concludes with the Tour Championship at Adena Golf & Country Club in Ocala, Florida.
Davidson, who was born in Scotland and currently resides in Kissimmee, Florida, attended the Epson Tour Qualifying School in 2022 but was unable to qualify for the Epson Tour.
The LPGA Tour eliminated the “female at birth'' requirement in 2010. Davidson began hormone therapy treatment in 2015 and underwent gender reassignment surgery in 2021, Golfweek reported in May 2021.
According to the newspaper, Davidson's last appearance as a male was in 2015 at the U.S. Open Regional Qualifier at Admiral's Cove in Jupiter, Florida.
On Wednesday, Davidson thanked supporters.
“But most importantly, I really want to thank everyone who has supported me, from the other competitors to all of you that I may or may not have had the chance to meet yet. ” Davidson wrote.
“Thank you everyone for helping me overcome the hate and making me feel loved.”
