Caitlyn Jenner is throwing her support behind a trans golfer trying to make it into next year's Ladies Professional Golf Association Tour — and striking change from her thoughts on trans swimmer Lia Thomas competing in women's competitions.
"Every sport is different," the reality TV star told Fox News. "Golf is a totally different game [than swimming]. It is a game of touch and feel."
Caitlyn had been highly critical of Lia's participation in swimming events, but she feels that Hailey Davidson, the 29-year-old who underwent gender reassignment surgery last year, wouldn't have unfair advantage on the golf course.
"I've been very consistent with how I've tried to approach these transgender athletes. It really depends on the sport. Every sport is different," the former Olympian said. "Obviously, we saw with Lia Thomas, she had gone through male puberty, bigger cardiovascular system, it just wasn't fair. And fortunately, we won that one."
In Hailey's case, "She's playing by the rules," Caitlyn said, noting that the LPGA Tour allows for players who were not born female. Plus, Caitlyn doesn't foresee Hailey being the tour's superstar if she ends up being good enough to qualify for LPGA inclusion.
"Honestly, for me, the jury is still out on this one," Jenner said. "I don't think she's gonna be in a position where she's gonna be dominating on the LPGA tour. To be honest with you, those girls are so good. The top girls on Tour can beat probably 99.9 percent of the men out there. They're that good."
Hailey, who played in a 2015 tournament as a male, competed in a LPGA qualifier tournament last week, but missed the cut for a tour card.
In a statement, Hailey echoed some of Caitlyn's thoughts regarding the talent of the LPGA women.
"All the people who commented about me having an advantage over biologically born women have no idea how great these women are at their craft or it what it takes to be an elite golfer," she said. "In order to compete against these amazing female athletes, I will need to continue to work hard on my game, which I fully intend to do."