Organizational chaos dominated the first day of the Solheim Cup, with tournament officials forced to issue “deep apologies” to thousands of spectators who were forced to wait hours for shuttle buses to the Robert Trent Jones Golf Club outside Gainesville, Virginia.
The impact of the situation was clear as the US-Europe clash got underway, with sparse stands providing the backdrop for the morning’s foursomes. “We’ve got to fill this thing up a bit more,” said American captain Stacy Lewis, clearly aware of the unsatisfactory backdrop. The LPGA hierarchy stood a stone’s throw away from her in deep conversation. It’s a huge embarrassment for the Solheim Cup, given that logistical problems dominated the off-course scene at Finca Cortesin in Spain 12 months ago.
There is public parking at Jiffy Lube Live, a concert venue about 30 minutes from the venue. From there, galleries must take buses to the track. But that transportation didn’t start until a considerable time after the scheduled 5 a.m. start, which would have been two hours before the first start time. This meant that lines grew; even spectators who arrived after 8 a.m. were told they could have to wait three hours for a bus. Amid angry scenes, some simply returned home.
“We recognize and apologize to all fans who have been impacted by the challenges of commuting from the parking lot to the golf course,” the LPGA said. “We have implemented significant changes to our transportation system to mitigate these issues in the future and are working on ways to express our apologies to those who have been impacted.”
The first response to this, when posted on social media, underscored the extent of the discontent. It read: “The line is currently 1/2 mile long for the shuttle bus. Airfare $2000, hotel $1500, leisure $2500, Solheim shuttle useless! What can you do to mitigate this?” Others called for compensation from the LPGA.
There is little excuse for event organisers, as record crowds were already widely predicted. The expectation was that well over 100,000 people would attend this Solheim Cup. The venue is not new to 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 reached the gates saw a dominant performance from the American foursomes. This proved to be a punishing morning for Europe. Lewis used speeches from former captains to inspire her players on Thursday night, a move that paid immediate dividends. The decision by Lewis’s opponent, Suzann Pettersen, to ban Leona Maguire from the session was made even more poignant as the US surged to a 3-1 lead.
Allisen Corpuz made the first winning putt as she and Nelly Korda defeated Esther Henseleit and Charley Hull, 3-2. “We wanted to set the tone,” Corpuz said. Korda was aware of the low turnout. “I think it’s a learning curve and hopefully they can get better every day,” said a rather benevolent world No. 1.
Rose Zhang and Lauren Coughlin quickly defeated Céline Boutier and Albane Valanzuela to add a second point for the hosts. Lilia Vu and Sarah Schmelzel rarely looked in danger against Linn Grant and Carlota Ciganda. The Americans closed out another 3&2 success.
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Europe’s foursome hopes were pinned on Emily Pedersen and Maja Stark beating Ally Ewing and Jennifer Kupcho in the penultimate game. The Europeans took an early lead, 4 up after five. In the 15th, the pressure on the visitors was palpable when Pedersen lost a greenside chip. Europe were now 1 up with three to play.
The margin was still one hole on the 18th tee. The key shot came from Pedersen, who played a glorious iron to tap-in range to secure Europe’s first point.
Pettersen is unlikely to panic. Europe were whitewashed in the first session in Spain but recovered to retain the trophy with a 14-14 draw. Europe turned to Maguire, in partnership with Georgia Hall, for the afternoon fourballs.