Solheim Cup starts with half-empty stands due to bus issues

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 were posting 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 in Gainesville, Virginia, about 40 miles west of Washington, D.C.

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 Tour said in a statement. “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.

The United States held a 3-1 lead after the Friday morning foursome matches as it tries to deny Europe from capturing the Solheim Cup for a record fourth straight time.

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.

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.

“You’ve got to get the people here,” former U.S. captain Juli Inkster said as she followed a match on the fourth hole.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.