The LPGA has apologized after logistical issues left visitors waiting hours for a parking shuttle to take them to the Solheim Cup. Frustrated fans were faced with hours of waiting to catch a bus that would take them from the parking lot to the golf course.
The Solheim Cup, the LPGA equivalent of the Ryder Cup, is a biennial competition pitting a team of American golfers against a European team. This year’s Solheim Cup will be held at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Gainesville, Virginia.
Due to a lack of parking at the club, visitors were invited to park at Jiffy Lube Live, a nearby outdoor concert venue, and take a shuttle. However, things didn’t go as planned: visitors reported waiting in lines for hours in a line more than a mile long. Many fans, despite arriving to park more than an hour before the first tee time of 7:05 a.m., didn’t actually arrive at the course until after 9 a.m., according to NBC Sports.
Around that time, the LPGA released a statement on social media apologizing to fans who were stranded.
“We recognize and apologize to all fans who have been impacted by the challenges of commuting from the parking lot to the golf course,” the LPGA wrote. “We have implemented significant changes to our transportation system to mitigate these issues in the future, and we are working on ways to express our apologies to those who have been impacted.”
We acknowledge and apologize to all fans who have been impacted by the challenges of commuting from the parking lot to the golf course. We have made significant changes to our transportation system to mitigate these issues in the future and are working on ways to express our apologies to those…
— LPGA (@LPGA) September 13, 2024
The problem, according to attendees, was that there simply weren’t enough buses to take fans the five miles to the course. One woman told NBC Sports that she opted to park elsewhere and walk two miles to the club rather than face the wait times.
The stands were relatively empty for the early tee times, with hundreds of attendees still waiting for the bus. According to Golfweek’s Beth Ann Nichols, fans also had to wait hours for the shuttle after the event’s opening ceremonies.
Lexi Thompson is about to cheer up the fans who did make it to the gates! Eventually, this place will rock. But how many fans will say never again? Yesterday, people waited hours for a shuttle after the opening ceremony. photo.twitter.com/reliFPhoUl
— Beth Ann Nichols (@GolfweekNichols) September 13, 2024
Eventually, the crowds arrived and filled the stands to watch the foursome competition on Friday. After the first day, the United States now leads Europe 6-2, with three of the four American pairs winning the match.
The three American couples that won were Nelly Korda and Megan Khang, Andrea Lee and Rose Zhang, and Lauren Coughlin and Sarah Schmelzel. Europe scored its only points of the day in a blowout win over Alison Lee and Lexi Thompson.
Day 2 of the competition begins tomorrow with a new foursome slate. Europe won the competition in 2019 and 2021, and retained the title after a draw in 2023. Now, just a year later, the United States is off to a good start — and hopefully fans can watch without further ado.
