Hailey Davidson has called her ban from the NXXT Golf a 'slap in the face' after the women's tour changed its gender policy for tournaments going forward.
Davidson became the first trans golfer to win a professional women's event three years ago and has admitted to hopefully one day earning an LPGA tour card.
She won the NXXT Women's Classic at Mission Inn Resort and Club earlier this year that gave her access to the Epson Tour - a qualifying tour for the LPGA.
But her hopes of continuing her climb through the women's game has taken a fresh blow after NXXT Golf announced a policy change that banned any competitor that was not a "biological female at birth".
The decision comes with Davidson sitting in second in the Road to the Epson Tour standings through nine events this year.
Hailey Davidson has been banned from the NXXT Tour
She's been left out of the field to play in its next event at the Dare the Bear Championship.
And Davidson has hit out at the decision from the women's professional tour, insisting it is offensive to biological females as well as transgender athletes.
“Effective immediately, I have been removed (banned) from the next 3 NXXT tournaments that I had already signed up for and been approved to play,” the 30-year-old wrote on Instagram.
"Do people not understand how good LPGA players are and how far they hit it?
"As a player, if you are upset at me getting to play with my distance (245 yards) then you will never make it to the LPGA Tour where they are that much better and longer than me.
"You can scream at me, threaten me, throw insults at me and even ban me but I will always get back up and keep fighting till the very end. Hate and bigotry will never win.
"What really bugs me is that people think I win just by showing up.
"This is such a slap in the face to all female athletes being told that any male can transition and beat them regardless of the life of hard work those women put in.
"You think you’re attacking me, but you’re actually attacking and putting down all other female athletes.”
Hailey Davidson has been outspoken on the ban on social media
NXXT CEO Stuart McKinnon has defended the decision to ban non-biological female athletes having spoken to several players.
"We didn't make this decision lightly," McKinnon said.
"We knew it was a polarising topic and would evoke a lot of emotions from people out there.
LATEST SPORT NEWS:
Hailey Davidson is hoping to one day play on the LPGA
"We took a lot of time in educating ourselves, spoke to many stakeholders in the golfing community and the sporting community at large from coaches and players and doctors and scientists, and educated ourselves.
"It really came down to one principle, and that was about competitive fairness.
"We felt that the biological male had a physiological advantage against the woman on the tour, and we made the decision to change."
