The 19th Solheim Cup got off to a rough start as fans hoping to catch the opening shots were stuck in a line of moving buses.
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GAINESVILLE, Va. – Those expecting bad weather for the opening of the 19th Solheim Cup woke up on Friday morning. Instead of a packed grandstand, members of the American and European teams were met with three-quarters full stands and empty cheers.
It’s not that they are fans he didn’t show up at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club to watch their favorite players kick the Solheim Cup — because they couldn’t. Due to bus problems from the grandstand five miles away, thousands of fans were unable to get to the course in time to watch the opening shots.
Melanie and Eric (who declined to give their last names) told GOLF.com that they traveled from Washington state to watch the Solheim Cup for the first time. They spent $1,000 on course tickets all week and are hoping to make the opening round of tee shots. But despite arriving in the stands 90 minutes before the first team departed at 7:05, they didn’t enter the gates until 7:30.
“We were there at 5:30 in the morning and we stood in line,” said Melanie. “They said that no one was in the stands, but we were all back there waiting.”
Many fans took to social media to express their grievances as they tried to get to the course early for the toy run.
According to several fans, there were two main issues that led to the transportation hiccup in the spectator area. Firstly, there were not enough charter buses to handle the number of fans who arrived early in the morning. And two, the volunteers (who use the same area as the fans) were able to jump to the front of the line and pass most of the fans who came before them.
“It’s really funny,” said one man who declined to be named. “We get to the line and the volunteers zoom in, crossing the line. Bus after bus. Why do you need volunteers if there are no supporters on the course? I’m angry.”
The man said he got up at 4:15 and arrived at the parking lot at 5:15. He breezed through security and entered the bus line at 5:30. Despite his early start and arrival, he didn’t enter the gates until the last group of the morning foursomes session had already arrived at their tee time at 7:41 am.
Buses arrived in the audience area to account for the huge demand, but by then most of the fans in line had missed the opening ceremonies.
The LPGA released the following statement regarding the busing issues:
“We understand and apologize to all fans affected by the travel challenges from the parking lot to the golf course. We have made significant changes to our transportation system to mitigate these issues going forward, and we are working on ways to express our condolences to those affected.”
There were similar scheduling problems following Thursday evening’s opening ceremony. When the event – highlighted by a concert by country singer Jordan Davis – ended, the line for the bus to the parking lot was backing up as hundreds of fans tried to get back to their cars. One woman, who spoke to GOLF.com on the condition of anonymity, said it took her about four hours to get to her hotel (about seven miles from the RTJ Club) once she got in the bus line.
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