LPGA apologises to furious fans after Solheim Cup ‘disaster’

The first tee at the Solheim Cup generates one of the greatest atmospheres in golf.

But in chaotic scenes outside the Robert Trent Jones Golf Club on Friday morning, hundreds of fans were robbed of that special experience as they were stuck outside the gates.

Shuttle bus issues – which have already caused problems earlier in the week – meant fans were stranded and missed the first shots of this year’s battle between Europe and the United States.

Dozens of seats were left empty for the first foursomes match between the European pairing of Esther Henseleit and Charley Hull and the American duo Nelly Korda and Allisen Corpuz.

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The nightmare scenario was highlighted on the ground by Golfweek’s Beth Ann Nichols.

It is understood that fans already waited hours to leave the Virginia venue after the opening ceremony on Thursday, with the same issue repeating itself early on Friday.

One fan who was missing out on the action as they queued for a shuttle wrote: “We are 1000 people back in line and have been waiting more than an hour. Total cluster.”

Another added: “Got in line at 5:30 for the shuttle and still waiting. Will definitely miss the first few tee times this morning.”

The German rookie Henseleit teed off this year’s renewal for Suzann Pettersen’s side over 90 minutes later at 7:05 local time.

One image showed a father and two children watching the opening tee shots on their phone having “not moved 10ft” since arriving in the queue.

What is going on @TheSolheimCup … these kids have been in line since 5.30am and end up having to watch the opening tee shots on a phone. They are not even close to getting on a shuttle bus. They haven't moved more than 10ft since they arrived 🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️ pic.twitter.com/xNoxUwft4J

— Michelle Holmes Golf (@mholmesgolf) September 13, 2024

The LPGA were later forced to issue an apology to fans.

“We recognise and deeply apologise to all fans affected by the challenges with shuttling from parking to the golf course,” the statement read.

“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 consensus on the ground was not that enough buses were made available for the 30 minute round trip from the pick up zone to the course. Some fans even decided to give up and leave the queues because they did not want to risk similar problems on their return journey.

This isn’t the first time fan experience has threatened to overshadow the action at the Solheim Cup.

In the thrilling 14-14 draw at Finca Cortesin last year, officials were forced to apologise after fans were temporarily left without access to water and food in the sweltering heat in southern Spain.

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Those that did get into the grounds, though, were treated to a match play masterclass from the home side.

Nelly Korda – who partnered Allisen Corpuz to a 3&2 win over Charlie Hull and Esther Henseleit in the morning and Megan Khang to a 6&4 thrashing of Georgia Hall and Leona Maguire in the afternoon – became the first American to win two matches by at least three holes on the opening day of a Solheim Cup.

There were also foursomes wins for Rose Zhang and Lauren Coughlin over Celine Boutier and Albane Valenzuala, and Lilia Vu and Sarah Schmelzel over Linn Grant and Carlota Ciganda, with Emily Pedersen and Maja Stark put some blue on the board by seeing off Ally Ewing and Jennifer Kupcho.

The hosts continued their dominance in the fourball session. Coughlin and Schelzel won again, beating Pedersen and Stark, before Zhang partnered Andrea Lee to a heavy defeat of Hull and Grant.

There was a glimmer of hope for Europe when Anna Nordqvist and Madelene Sagstrom thrashed Alison Lee and Lexi Thompson, but the Americans will go into day two with a healthy 6-2 lead.

Ben Parsons joined bunkered as a Content Producer in 2023 and is the man to come to for all of the latest news, across both the professional and amateur games. Formerly of The Mirror and Press Association, he is a member at Halifax Golf Club and is a long-suffering fan of both Manchester United and the Wales rugby team.