LPGA apologises for travel chaos as thousands miss start of Solheim Cup

The LPGA Tour was forced to “deeply apologise” after the opening morning of the Solheim Cup – and the famous atmosphere around the first tee – was marred by chaotic scenes with tens of thousands of spectators left stranded outside the gates.

When the first foursomes match featuring Charley Hull and world No 1 Nelly Korda began at 7.05am the grandstands surrounding the tee-box were less than half full and US captain Stacy Lewis expressed her concern. “We’ve got to fill this thing up,” she said. Europe captain Suzann Pettersen described the spectacle as “disappointing” and said that the atmosphere was “a bit flat”, although that seemed an understatement.

Days had been ruined and the organisers’ pre-event boasts that they were ready for record-breaking attendances were proved to be a complete sham. Supporters who in some instances had paid thousands of dollars for the privilege formed huge queues as they waited for shuttle buses to transport them to the Robert Trent Jones Golf Club for the biennial dust-up between Team USA and Europe.

Fans vented their frustrations on social media at being stuck in lines for buses at the designated pick-up points at a concert venue near the course, about 40 miles west of Capitol Hill. Many arrived there well before 6am but did not make it for what is always a special experience around the first tee.

Indeed, the conspicuous gaps remained well after the four foursomes had started and were out on the layout. One image showed two children and their father watching the opening tee shots on their phone having “not moved 10 foot” since arriving in the queue just after dawn.

The shambles continued and showed no signs of easing. By 8am, fans arriving at the car park were warned it would take three hours before they would get on a bus. There were reports of hundreds giving up and going home.

The Solheim is seen as the biggest event in the women’s game, but as the powers-that-be try to grow their fan base they were actually managing to turn people away. So much for showcasing the sport. The ineptitude made it a laughing stock and a shameful situation was not helped by the long silence of those supposedly in charge.

Following more than three hours of farce, the Tour at last obliged to comment. “We recognise and deeply apologise to all fans affected by the challenges with shuttling from parking to the golf course,” the organisers posted on X. “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.”

If the Tour anticipated this message placating the disgruntled masses then they were severely wrong. One reply from the snaking line spelt out the cost. “Line is ­currently 1/2 mile long for the shuttle bus,” it read. “Airline Tickets $2000, hotel $1500, time off work $2500, Solheim ­shuttle useless! What can you ­possibly do to mitigate this?”

The Tour cannot say it had not been warned. On Thursday there was an outcry about transport issues with supporters queuing in the dusk to return to their cars in the 30-minute shuttle trip. And with the concerns plainly unacted upon there are understandable calls for full refunds and indeed compensation.

This is the second Solheim Cup in succession in which officials have come under fire for its treatment of the galleries. At last year’s 14-14 draw in southern Spain, apologies were also issued after fans were left without access to water and food in the sweltering heat. A week later, the Ryder Cup took place in Rome where the organisation was almost unanimously praised. The contrast was belittling.

After Korda and Allisen Corpuz had accounted for Hull and German Esther Henseleit, the world No 1 tried to put a brave face on the disruption. “Obviously you notice that the stands aren’t full,” Korda said. “ Obviously we have no part in the transportation issues. With the amount of people that are coming in, I know they’re breaking records with the amount of attendance, it’s going to be tough to get everyone in smoothly. So I think it’s a learning curve, and hopefully they can improve every single day.”

Thankfully, by the time the afternoon fourballs session was beginning, the numbers had swelled and the first-tee experience was living up to the billing. Lewis commended the fans for their patience and determination. “It was disappointing because you plan these things for years and mistakes happen – unfortunately, it was a big one,” Lewis said. “I just thank them because they’re here now. That’s important. We just appreciate those that stuck with us and still came out today.”

Barack Obama, the former president, knows how to play a crowd and he appeared on the teebox as the cheers rang out. But then, the home support had plenty to shout about as their side led 3-1 after the morning foursomes.