Organisational chaos dominated day one at the Solheim Cup, with tournament officials forced to “deeply apologise” to thousands of spectators who had to wait several hours for shuttle buses to the Robert Trent Jones Golf Club outside Gainesville, Virginia.
The impact of the situation was obvious as the clash between the US and Europe got under way, with sparse stands forming the backdrop to the morning’s foursomes. “We have got to fill this thing up a little bit more,” said the US captain, Stacy Lewis, clearly aware of the unsatisfactory backdrop. The LPGA hierarchy stood in deep discussion just yards from her. This marks a huge embarrassment for the Solheim Cup given logistical problems dominated the off-course scene at Finca Cortesin in Spain 12 months ago.
Public car parking is available at Jiffy Lube Live, a concert venue about 30 minutes from the venue. From there, galleries should pick up buses to the course. Yet that transportation only began a considerable time after the planned start of 5am, which would have been two hours before the first tee time. This meant lines backed up; even spectators who arrived after 8am were told they faced a potential three-hour wait for a bus. Amid angry scenes, some simply turned for home.
“We recognise and deeply apologise to all fans affected by the challenges with shuttling from parking to the golf course,” said the LPGA. “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.”
The first reply to this when posted on social media emphasised the scale of discontent. This read: “Line is currently 1/2 mile long for the shuttle bus. Airline Tickets $2000, hotel $1500, time off work $2500, Solheim shuttle useless! What can you possibly do to mitigate this?” Others called for compensation from the LPGA.
There is little excuse for event administrators, given record crowds had been widely predicted. Expectation was that considerably more than 100,000 would attend this Solheim Cup. The site is not a new one in respect of high-profile golf events, having hosted the Presidents Cup in 1994, 1996, 2000 and 2005. The PGA Tour also stopped here in 2015.
Those who did reach the gates saw a dominant US foursomes performance. This proved a chastening morning for Europe. Lewis used speeches from past captains to inspire her players on Thursday evening, a move that paid immediate dividends. The decision of Lewis’s opposite number, Suzann Pettersen, to omit Leona Maguire from the session came into even sharper focus as the US marched into a 3-1 lead.
Allisen Corpuz holed the first winning putt as she and Nelly Korda saw off Esther Henseleit and Charley Hull, 3&2. “We wanted to set the tone,” said Corpuz. Korda had been aware of the low crowds. “I think it’s a learning curve and hopefully they can improve every single day,” said a rather charitable world No 1.
Rose Zhang and Lauren Coughlin soon defeated Céline Boutier and Albane Valanzuela to add a second point for the hosts. Lilia Vu and Sarah Schmelzel rarely looked in danger in opposition to Linn Grant and Carlota Ciganda. The Americans closed out another 3&2 success.
