The LPGA has apologized after logistical issues left attendees waiting hours for a parking shuttle to transport them to the Solheim Cup. Frustrated fans were faced with hours-long wait times in order 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 that pits a team of American golfers against a European team. This year’s Solheim Cup is being held at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Gainesville, Virginia.
Due to a lack of parking at the club, attendees were invited to park at Jiffy Lube Live, a nearby outdoor concert venue, and take a shuttle over. However, things did not go as planned: Attendees reported waiting in line for hours in a line over a mile long. Many fans, despite arriving to park more than an hour before the first 7:05 a.m. tee time, did not get to the course until after 9:00 a.m., per NBC Sports.
Around that time, the LPGA released a statement on social media, apologizing to fans who were stranded.
“We recognize and deeply apologize to all fans affected by the challenges with shuttling from parking to the golf course,” the LPGA wrote. “We’ve made significant changes to our transportation system to mitigate these issues moving forward, and we’re working on ways to express our regret to those impacted.”
We recognize and deeply apologize to all fans affected by the challenges with shuttling from parking to the golf course. We’ve made significant changes to our transportation system to mitigate these issues moving forward, and we’re working on ways to express our regret to those…
— LPGA (@LPGA) September 13, 2024
The problem, per attendees, was that there simply weren’t enough buses to shuttle fans the five miles to the golf course. One woman told NBC Sports that she opted to park in a different place and walk two miles to the club rather than deal with the wait times.
The stands were relatively empty for the early tee times, with hundreds of attendees still stuck waiting for the bus. Per Golfweek’s Beth Ann Nichols, fans were also left waiting for the shuttle for hours after the event’s opening ceremony.
Lexi Thompson is on the tee to rev up the fans that did make it in the gates! Eventually this place will be rocking. But how many fans will say never again? People waited hours for a shuttle yesterday after opening ceremonies. pic.twitter.com/reliFPhoUl
— Beth Ann Nichols (@GolfweekNichols) September 13, 2024
Eventually, the crowd was able to arrive and fill the stands to watch the Friday foursome competition. After the first day, the United States now leads Europe 6-2, with three of the four U.S. pairs winning the matchup.
The three United States pairs that won were Nelly Korda and Megan Khang, Andrea Lee and Rose Zhang and Lauren Coughlin and Sarah Schmelzel. Europe won its only points of the day in a blowout win over Alison Lee and Lexi Thompson.
Day 2 of the competition will begin tomorrow with a new foursome slate. Europe won the competition in 2019 and 2021, and retained the title after a tie in 2023. Now, just a year later, the United States is off to a good start — and hopefully the fans will be able to watch without any more issues.
