LPGA apologizes for problems with the park shuttle at the Solheim Cup

The LPGA has apologized after logistical issues left visitors waiting hours for a parking lot shuttle to take them to the Solheim Cup. Frustrated fans had to wait hours to catch a bus to take them from the parking lot to the golf course.

The Solheim Cup, the LPGA equivalent of the Ryder Cup, is a biennial competition pitting a team of American golfers against a European team. This year's Solheim Cup will be played at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Gainesville, Virginia.

Because there was not enough parking at the club, visitors were asked to park at Jiffy Lube Live, a nearby outdoor concert venue, and take a shuttle. However, things did not go as planned: Visitors reported waiting for hours in a line more than a mile long. Many fans, despite arriving to park more than an hour before the first tee time of 7:05 a.m., did not get on the course until after 9:00 a.m., according to NBC Sports.

Around this time, the LPGA released a statement on social media apologizing to the stranded fans.

“We recognize the difficulties involved in getting from the parking lot to the golf course and deeply apologize to all fans,” the LPGA wrote. “We have made significant changes to our transportation system to mitigate these issues in the future and are working on ways to express our regrets to those affected.”

The problem, attendees said, was that there weren't enough buses to take fans the five miles to the golf course. One woman told NBC Sports she preferred to park elsewhere and walk two miles to the club rather than wait.

The stands were relatively empty at the early tee times, with hundreds of visitors still waiting for the bus. According to Golfweek's Beth Ann Nichols, fans had to wait hours for the shuttle even after the event's opening ceremony.

Finally, the spectators came and filled the stands to watch the foursomes competition on Friday. After the first day, the USA led Europe 6-2, with three of the four US pairs winning the duel.

The three winning US pairs were Nelly Korda and Megan Khang, Andrea Lee and Rose Zhang, and Lauren Coughlin and Sarah Schmelzel. Europe scored its only points of the day with a clear win over Alison Lee and Lexi Thompson.

The second day of the competition begins on Saturday with a new list of four.

Europe won the competition in 2019 and 2021 and defended the title after a tie in 2023. Now that the event is back to even-numbered years due to a pandemic-related date change in 2020, the United States is off to a good start – and hopefully fans will be able to watch without further hassle.