Get updates delivered to you daily. Free and customizable.
New York Post
Solheim Cup starts with ‘complete disaster’ for fans
By Post Wire Report,
4 hours ago
GAINESVILLE, Va. — The opening matches of the Solheim Cup began in front of half-empty grandstands surrounding the first tee at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club on Friday morning, with transportation issues preventing fans from getting to the golf course.
Fans posted on social media that they were stuck for hours waiting in lines for buses at Jiffy Lube Live, a concert venue near the golf course about 40 miles west of Washington, D.C.
Fans wait outside the Solheim Cup jondavidson/X
“2 hours in the parking lot and only 200 yard from the front it’s a disgrace refunds need to be issued,” one fan, Jon Davidson, wrote on X.
“I’ve been in line for about an hour and only moved 15 feet… And I had hopes of making it to the first tee,” wrote Jason Berstein .
In the 20 minutes before the matches began, a small trickle of fans speed-walked toward the grandstand, but there was no sign of the record crowds that organizers had promised .
“We recognize and deeply apologize to all fans affected by the challenges with shuttling from parking to the golf course,” the LPGA said in a statement 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.”
Esther Henseleit struck the opening tee shot for Europe in the team competition against the United States as part of an alternate-shot pairing with Charley Hull. Allisen Corpuz followed for the U.S., paired with top-ranked Nelly Korda.
American fans at the Solheim Cup on Sept. 13, 2024. Getty Images United States’ Lilia Vu tees off on the third hole during the first day of the Solheim Cup on Sept. 13, 2024. AP
Europe is seeking to capture the Solheim Cup for a record fourth straight time.
“The Solheim is the LPGA’s time to shine,” GolfWeek’s Beth Ann Nichols wrote on X. “The crown jewel of the tour. Complete disaster. One of the worst I’ve seen in 20 years covering the tour.”
Players frequently describe the opening tee shot at the Solheim Cup as more nerve-wracking than anything in women’s golf, fueled partly by fans who fill grandstands hours in advance to cheer the home team.
Fans fumed on social media over the crazy waits to get into the Solheim Cup. jondavidson/X
The few hundred fans who made it in time for Friday morning’s opening remained quiet for the European tee shots and cheered throughout as the Americans hit theirs, a departure from golf etiquette that players have come to embrace at team competitions.
— With AP
For the latest in sports, top headlines, breaking news and more, visit nypost.com/sports/
Get updates delivered to you daily. Free and customizable.
It’s essential to note our commitment to transparency:
Our Terms of Use acknowledge that our services may not always be error-free, and our Community Standards emphasize our discretion in enforcing policies. As a platform hosting over 100,000 pieces of content published daily, we cannot pre-vet content, but we strive to foster a dynamic environment for free expression and robust discourse through safety guardrails of human and AI moderation.
Local News
