GAINESVILLE, Va. — The morning was anticipated to be one of the biggest in women’s golf. The Solheim Cup first tee is always a bucket list experience for fans, but on Friday, spectators trudged through the entrance at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club with dour expressions. Meanwhile, the 2,000 seats surrounding the opening tee box stood with several noticeably empty sections. But it’s not as though there weren’t enough fans to occupy them. Four and a half miles down the road, those fans were stuck in the parking lot.
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The team match play event between the U.S. and Europe was eyeing record ticket sales, yet many of the thousands of ticketholders who woke up before sunrise to see the first tee shots were still waiting for shuttle buses as the morning foursomes kicked off. Two-and-a-half hour lines greeted the early risers, some of whom traveled hours to experience the atmosphere on the event’s opening hole.
When they did get in what they saw was a runaway Friday for the Americans, which took a 6-2 lead by winning each session, 3-1. Nelly Korda, Rose Zhang, Lauren Coughlin and Sarah Schmelzel each went 2-0, the latter two both Solheim Cup rookies that captain Stacy Lewis felt so strong about she put the two out as a pair in Friday four-ball. They won, 3&2, over Emily Pedersen and Maja Stark, with Coughlin rolling in a birdie putt on No. 16 for the final point of the day.
“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 impacted,” a statement from the LPGA said.
The initial delay in bussing crowds onto the property, located outside of Washington D.C., resulted from the volunteers for the event occupying the first several shuttles that showed up. Volunteers typically have a separate parking area and designated shuttles at large-scale golf events to avoid this issue. At the Solheim Cup, they were lumped with fans and used their volunteer badges to get on the first few buses that arrived, of which there were already very few.
“Obviously we noticed that the stands were not full but what matters is that everyone is out here right now cheering for us loud,” Korda said after her and teammate Allisen Corpuz won the opening match 3&2 against Charley Hull and Esther Henseleit.
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Corpuz said they noticed more and more fans trickling in by the time they got to the fourth or fifth hole. Korda said it really picked up on the back nine. The atmosphere was clearly more energetic for the Americans around the first tee during the beginning of the afternoon session, including an appearance from former President Barack Obama.
One family with three young daughters told The Athletic they drove 11 hours from Florida the evening before heading to the course to use their Friday tickets, which they bought in November. They woke up at 4:30 a.m. ET to drive from their hotel, located 40 minutes from the parking lot, only to step off the shuttle bus and arrive on-site at 8:14 a.m. ET.
My son and I won tickets and drove up this morning. 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. pic.twitter.com/wYqqkknpkA
— Rob Huddleston (@Rob_Huddleston) September 13, 2024
A mother and daughter contemplated taking an Uber to the club’s entrance and breaking the rules to walk into the event to avoid the shuttle back up — a loophole many fans eventually resorted to. Instead, the pair stuck it out in the line, streamed the first tee shots on their phones, and discussed possibly giving up their Saturday and Sunday tickets to watch at home instead.
The Old Dominion women’s golf team met and got in line before 6 a.m. ET. They walked into the Solheim Cup fan zone at 8:24 a.m. ET. Mutters of the event setup being a “disaster” and “a mess” echoed as spectators slowly made their way onto the course to watch the morning foursomes session.
Required reading
- Should the Solheim Cup have a tiebreaker? It’s probably time for a refresh
- How Lauren Coughlin, the Solheim Cup’s oldest rookie, learned to believe in her golf game
(Illustration: John Bradford / The Athletic; photo: Scott Taetsch / Getty Images)
Gabby Herzig is a Staff Writer for The Athletic covering golf. Before joining The Athletic, she worked as a breaking news writer for Sports Illustrated’s golf vertical and a contributing editor at Golf Digest. She is a graduate of Pomona College, where she captained the varsity women’s golf team.