Fans, both frustrated and furious, took to social media Friday morning to complain about logistical issues that were keeping them from reaching the grounds of the Robert Trent Golf Club in Gainesville, Va., for the opening-day matches of the Solheim Cup.
They reported long lines — with waits as long as 2 1/2 hours — to board shuttle buses to take them from the assigned parking area to the course. As a result, the first groups teed off in the morning’s foursomes format just after 7 a.m. with only a smattering of fans in the stands.
“We recognize and deeply apologize to all fans affected by the challenges with shuttling from parking to the golf course,” the LPGA Tour said in a statement. “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.”
Beth Ann Nichols, a senior writer for Golfweek, criticized the conditions.
“The Solheim is the LPGA’s time to shine. The crown jewel of the tour. Complete disaster. One of the worst I’ve seen in 20 years covering the tour,” she posted on X.
In a subsequent post, she offered some advice to the LPGA Tour.
“Someone from the tour should be in that parking lot handing out water and Solheim Cup merch! Heck, the commish should go over there and talk to fans.”
One fan in attendance shared Nichols’ assessment.
“My son and I won tickets and drove up this morning,” wrote Rob Huddleston, who identified himself as an attorney and a sports fan, in his X profile. “We’ve been to The Masters, PGA, US Open, and tons of every other sport. Never seen anything as screwed up logistically as the #SolheimCup.”
