LPGA commissioner owns up to Solheim Cup transportation fiasco
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Allisen Corpuz (left) of Team United States reacts with Charley Hull of Team Europe on the 18th green during the second day of the Solheim Cup on Sept 14.
PHOTO: AFP
GAINESVILLE – LPGA commissioner Mollie Marcoux Samaan took responsibility on Sept 14 for the transportation fiasco that kept fans from arriving at the Solheim Cup in a timely manner on the opening day of the event.
Fans who paid US$30 (S$39) to park in the event-designated lot reported waiting two hours or longer for shuttle buses they expected to take them to the Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Gainesville. As a result of the delay, many fans missed much of the morning foursomes session.
“I don’t want to get into exactly who, the details of the responsibility,” the commissioner said when asked who was in charge of transportation planning.
“At the end of the day, I’m the leader of the organisation and I have to own it. We have a tournament team that runs all of this, but I’m sitting up here in front of you as the leader of the LPGA, and I need to own that.”
Marcoux Samaan did not specify how many buses were in use in the morning of Sept 13 and then later in the day.
“The exact numbers, I can’t tell you at every hour what we had, but let’s just suffice it to say there were not enough,” she added.
In addition to not having enough buses, Marcoux Samaan said there were not enough staff in place to load the buses and communicate with fans, and that the staging area was not sufficient or efficient.
Fans arriving on Sept 14 morning then found plenty of buses to shuttle them.
“We’re not happy with what happened. I don’t think it’s going to be long-term damage to us. We have to make sure our fans know how much we care about them and how much we whiffed,” said Marcoux Samaan.
Golfweek reported that fans who were impacted received an e-mail with an apology and two complimentary weekend tickets. Many fans requested a refund for parking and the entry fee. Golfweek said event tickets, that did not include parking, were US$110.
On Sept 14, the US put themselves in prime position to claim the Solheim Cup for the first time since 2017, as they split the foursomes and four-ball sessions to grab a 10-6 lead over holders Europe.
“The Europeans played a lot better today, and that showed, but really, really happy with the day, and to keep the same lead,” said US captain Stacy Lewis, whose team needed to reach 14.5 points for their first win in seven years.
“We’re going to go try to win as many points early as we can and try to get this thing done.”
REUTERS, AFP
