A wave of relief washed over Veronica Ivy on the 18th green at Chilliwack Golf Club as she tapped in a final putt to claim two provincial golf championships on June 25.
The Gorge Vale Golf Club member won both the women’s B.C. Mid-Amateur and Mid-Master championships, carding a 54-hole total of 223 to finish seven over par and one stroke ahead of Nonie Marler.
The events ran concurrently with the B.C. Women’s Amateur from June 23 to 25.
The victory marks another athletic milestone for Ivy, who, in 2018, became the first transgender world champion in track cycling, and followed it up with a second title in 2019, before returning to competitive golf early last year.
“I was just relieved,” Ivy said of standing over the short tap-in on her final hole of the tournament. “Golf is five hours straight, day after day. Coming from cycling, where the stress only lasts a couple of minutes, it’s a completely different experience.”
Facing several of B.C.’s top mid-amateur golfers, Ivy initially set reasonable expectations for the week.
“My goal was top three to make the provincial team for nationals,” she said. “Winning honestly wasn’t really on my mind. Even entering the final day with the lead, I was just thinking about holding on.”
After opening with rounds of 75 and 72, Ivy saw her lead tighten late in the final round after a double bogey and bogey on 16 and 17. But she steadied herself on the difficult closing stretch at Chilliwack.
On the 18th hole, Ivy needed two putts from roughly 12 feet after learning competitor Nonie Marler had bogeyed ahead of her, giving her the margin she needed to claim both titles.
“The stress just immediately went away,” she said.
Ivy stepped away from international cycling and returned to full-time golf training in January 2025. The win now qualifies her for the Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship, set for Aug. 5 to 7 in Burlington, Ont.
Other Victoria-area golfers also posted strong results in Chilliwack. Royal Colwood’s Anna Wu finished third, Olympic View’s Emma Kral placed fourth, and Victoria Golf Club’s Chelsea Truong earned a top-10 finish in the women’s amateur championship.
Ivy’s victory also comes within an evolving policy landscape in women’s golf and amateur sport.
In 2024, the LPGA and United States Golf Association (USGA) introduced updated eligibility criteria for some elite women’s competitions, which include restrictions related to male puberty for transgender athletes. The R&A has adopted similar standards for championships under its jurisdiction.
In Canada, policy approaches differ. BC Golf and Golf Canada operate under transgender inclusion frameworks that allow athletes to compete in the gender category with which they identify. Those policies are informed by national guidance and human rights frameworks and were updated in May 2025.
“The policy reflects a clear position: athletes compete in the gender category in which they identify,” BC Golf said in a statement to Victoria News.
“This is consistent with our organisational values, particularly belonging and integrity, and with human rights law in Canada.”
The organization added that the policy remains under regular review and may evolve based on ongoing experience at the provincial and national level.
Ivy, who said she has advised the International Olympic Committee in the past on its 2021 framework for transgender inclusion, said she has been disappointed by what she views as a “shift in some international sport policies in recent years.”
She said her competitive opportunities outside Canada are now more limited under the current eligibility rules. In Canada, she said, the approach taken by national and provincial sport organizations has allowed her to continue competing.
Despite occasionally receiving negative attention online, Ivy said her focus remains on performance.
“When I’m competing, I’m mostly just focused on competing.”