Davidson, who almost qualified for the US Women’s Open in July, came through the first stage of qualifying in August and is one of 195 players teeing it up at the second stage this week in Florida.

The 31-year-old, originally from Scotland, must finish inside the top 35 to advance to the final stage of qualifying and have the chance to earn an LPGA Tour card for the following season.

But her prescence in women’s events has come under heavy scrutiny over the past year. In March, Davidson was banned from competing on NXXT Golf, a women’s golf tour based out of Florida, when they revised their gender policy two months after she won an event.

And in August, former LPGA pro Amy Olson suggested it was ‘unfair’ that Davidson was able to compete at the first stage of qualifying. ‘These women have worked too hard and too long to have to stand by and watch a man compete for and take their spot,’ she added.

Now, ahead of the second stage of qualifying, it has emerged that over 275 current and former players have signed the letter sent to the LPGA, the US Golf Association and the International Golf Federation, to raise their concerns about Davidson’s continued participation.

‘We all know there can be no equal athletic opportunity for women without a separate female golf category,’ the letter, first reported by OutKick, began.

‘Yet, the Ladies Professional Golf Association continues to propagate a policy that allows male athletes to qualify, compete and win in women’s golf, even as several national and international governing bodies of sport and state legislatures increasingly reject these unjust and inequitable policies that harm female athletes.

‘LPGA policy does not explicitly state eligibility based on sex. It is essential for the integrity and fairness of women’s golf to have a clear and consistent participation policy in place based on a player’s immutable sex. There are differences between the sexes – female and male – that specifically affect our sport of golf.

‘The male advantage in driving the ball is estimated around a 30 per cent performance advantage; this is an enormous difference in the context of sport. Anatomical differences between males and females affect clubhead speed and regulating consistency at ball contact.

‘Females have higher mean heart rates and encounter greater physiological demands while playing, especially at high altitudes. The anatomical differences are not removed with male testosterone suppression. There is no way to turn a male into a female. Being female is not equated to being male with a reduction in strength.’

Davidson, meanwhile, has been vocal in the face of huge scrutiny and said on Instragram: ‘I will never understand athletes who blame a transgender competitor on their own athletic failures.

‘If you don’t take accountability for your failures then you will never actually be good enough to make it.’

Adressing concerns over the differing driving distances between biological men and women, Davidson previously revealed her average tee shot goes 245 yards, a figure that would see her ranked outside the top 150 longest hitters on the LPGA Tour based on 2024 averages. 

After a disappointing six-over-par opening round on Tuesday, Davidson is now facing an uphill battle to finish inside the top 35 and advance to the final stage. Should she finish all four rounds, Davidson would receive limited status on the developmental Epson Tour for next season.

At present, a transgender golfer has never qualified for a start on either the LPGA or Epson Tour.

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