To the best of my recollection, I’ve only attended one sporting event that was a nation vs. nation situation. That was a 2002 preliminary round FIBA Men’s World Championship game between the United States and Germany in Indianapolis’s now-razed RCA Dome. The U.S. won, 104-87, and if there were chants of USA! USA! USA! I certainly don’t remember them.
So, to say that I was looking forward to attending the 2024 Solheim Cup as part of my “Around the World in 80 Sporting Events” project would be an understatement.
That it happened to be a women’s sporting event only added to my anticipation.
Perhaps you’ve noticed: Women’s sports are enjoying a moment! From the University of Nebraska hosting an outdoor volleyball match before 92,003 fans at Memorial Stadium last August to U.S. Women’s Soccer outshining their male counterparts to the USA Women’s Basketball Team having won eight consecutive Olympic gold medals to the whole Caitlin Clark impact on NCAA and WNBA basketball.
Salaries are increasing (though too slowly), television coverage is far more prevalent, and endorsement opportunities seem to be on the uptick. Heck, there are even sports bars whose business model is women’s sports.
I know to do justice to the Around the World project, I need to get to more women’s sporting events. I’m pleased the schedule worked to get me to the Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Gainesville, VA, to see Team USA host Team Europe in what’s usually a biennial event. Due to COVID disruptions, it was contested in both 2023 and 2024. Team Europe has owned the cup for the last three competitions.
Egg Meet Face, Face Meet Egg
It appears, by all accounts, that the LPGA (tasked with organizing the Solheim Cup on American soil) was ill-prepared to meet this moment.
My father and I benefitted from a gifted VIP Parking Pass that allowed us to park on the grounds at RTJGC rather than at the Jiffy Lube Live amphitheater where parking and shuttle busses was to occur.
Though I’d not been to an event like this, previously, I’d seen Ryder, President, and Solheim Cups on TV before and the first tee was always a jam-packed, raucous environment.
To be clear, we could hear the bass pumping as soon as we had our tickets scanned so the party was definitely happening. The thing is, not many folks showed up. The grandstand was, perhaps, two-thirds full. I figured either the Solheim Cup was not as popular as I’d thought or fans simply didn’t care to wake up as early as necessary for the opening tee shots of the competition.
Turns out it was neither.
A massive shortage of shuttle busses was secured by the LPGA for the event and thousands of fans at Jiffy Lube Live were waiting in queues for more than two hours before they made their way onto the grounds.
Clockwise from upper left, the entrance at the Fan Zone was eerily empty at arrival time; Team Europe fans seemed outnumber Team America to start the day; that included fans in banana costumes.
Eventually, all ticketholders received an email from LPGA Commissioner Mollie Marcoux Samaan apologizing for the “transportation experience.”
We want to deeply apologize if this morning’s transportation experience at the 2024 Solheim Cup impacted your enjoyment of the event. We certainly understand how frustrating this must have been.
We recognize the importance of efficient transportation to ensure that your day at the tournament is enjoyable from start to finish. We’ve made significant changes to our transportation system to mitigate these issues moving forward.
As an apology, the LPGA downloaded all patrons two additional weekend passes to their Seat Geek accounts.
Sadly, we weren’t going to be around to take advantage of the gesture.
Party Atmosphere
I’ve never been to the TPC Scottdale’s 16th Hole at the Waste Management Open – easily golf’s biggest party hole, presently – but I’ve gotta believe the first tee at these team events replicate it on a much smaller – and less-intoxicated – manner.
A Unique Golf Viewing Experience
As I’ve already been to the U.S. Open (Event 1) and The Open Championship (Event 2), this whole being a spectator at a golf tournament thing was sort of second nature by now.
Or was it?
On Day 1 of the Solheim Cup there were a total of eight groups playing (four in the morning and four in the afternoon). The morning was foursomes (e.g. alternate shot by teammates) and the afternoon was four ball (e.g. best ball of the teammates) so there really is not a lot spots to catch the action.
The options are, seemingly, to pick a group and follow it or pick a spot and settle in. After seeing the introductions and the eight tee shots, my dad and I checked the Great Lawn (a massive green space below the clubhouse with concessions and seating as well as a stage for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies), and then we found our way to Holes No. 15-18 to ensure we had a feel for what the finishing holes might look like as the weekend wore on.
Once done, we found our way to the 14th green which had an amphitheater feel about it and settled in for what would wind up being a couple hour wait for golfers to get to us.
And while we waited, we visited with those around us, including the woman next to me from Virginia whose daughter was serving as a marshal at the 14th so she too decided to set up shop. Her husband, I learned, was in the Pentagon on 9/11. He was unharmed but she shared how powerful the phone call she’d received was, the uneasiness she felt, and having to speak to her mother-in-law later when she called to see if her son was OK.
And if we weren’t visiting, we (e.g. me) might have done some wandering.
I took a walkabout to the Fan Zone which was now filled with folks. And while I didn’t hit any golfballs or participate in any of the mini-golf, I applaud the organizers for having things to do for all ages of spectators.
I did, however, grab a photo with some of my favorites European fans of the day. I’ll call them the Sunflower Gals for lack of a formal name. They were, seemingly, everywhere on this opening day. Like us, they were in the gallery at the first tee and they eventually found their way to the 14th green and I’ve no doubt they were darlings of the television cameras.
The author and the Sunflower Gals in the Solheim Cup Fan Zone. The Sunflower Gals made an appearance at the 14th green a bit later.
We eventually saw action, but it was relatively uneventful. There were a few shots that found their way into the water in front of No. 14 and some near miss putts but, ultimately, no decisions were made on No. 14 and it was, for the most part, devoid of excitement.
That changed in the afternoon.
No. 2 for the Road
Understanding that we were not likely to battle what would now be masses at the first tee for afternoon introductions or hoof it to the back of the course to see some new holes, we decided to wander over from the 14th green to the 2nd green.
Again, we had our pick of spots to stake our claim. We settled on the back left (as you face the hole) of the green. It turned fortuitous when the greenskeepers finished rolling the green and a new hole was cut on our side of the green.
Suddenly, we were getting up close and personal with all of the competitors.
Clockwise from upper left, greenskeepers cut a new pin placement for the afternoon; our view of said pin with four shots on the green; Nelly Korda over her putt at No. 2; Leona Maguire looks at her break; Rose Zhang replaces her ball before putting; Lexi Thompson’s approach shot nearly wound up on my foot; Thompson prepares to play her shot; Sarah Schmelzel also found her way over the green.
Suns Out, Guns Out!
After seeing all four afternoon groups play the second, we made our way back to the 14th green and prepared to wait for their arrival.
By now, all of those folks who waited out the transportation woes were at the course, so we no longer had our choice of spots. My dad secured a spot next to the camera tower that afforded an excellent view of this reachable par 5. And while there was a lengthy wait for the players to arrive, it was worth it.
Team USA’s Nelly Korda and Megan Khang had an opportunity to close out Team Europe’s Georgia Hall and Leona Maguire. Korda did just that by draining an eagle putt
The next group to make it to No. 14 included Team USA’s Lauren Coughlin who nearly holed out for eagle on her approach.
Finally, it lacked the exciting finish (just a missed putt by Team Europe’s Charley Hull) of that first match to make it to No. 14, but the final quartet to arrive also yielded a match-clincher for the American duo of Andrea Lee and Rose Zhang who won 5 & 4.
A Long and Enjoyable Day
My alarm began its work at 4:30 in the morning and I began making my way to the Solheim Cup Shop to meet my dad at about 4:30 in the afternoon. All told, we were at the course for just under 10 hours and probably witnessed fewer than 40 shots in total.
Some might say, Doug, you’re crazy!
And on many days, I might be inclined to agree.
But this wasn’t one of those days.
It was more than just spectating. It was that down time waiting for the golfers to get to you and the conversations you’re having with strangers from various parts of the world.
Beyond the Virginian I referenced earlier, I also had wonderful chats with a group of four friends from Richmond who had a blast just spending time together on a sunny and warm Friday afternoon. One of them was even a former teacher in Southfield (MI) near where I live which confirms my thinking that this world is smaller than we know. And then there was a pair of friends from Massachusetts who’d never visited Washington, D.C., and took advantage of the Solheim Cup as an opportunity to roadtrip together and see our nation’s capital; and boy, did they: White House tour, U.S. Capitol tour, day and night tours of the monuments, Smithsonian Natural History Museum, and the Holocaust Memorial. There was also the lady from California who’d never been to D.C. either and reconnected with an old friend who lives just outside the Beltway for a visit, touring, and some golf watching. How about the fella from the Phoenix area who hopes to follow the PGA Tour to all its western U.S. stops someday? Or the lady from near Princeton, NJ, whose parents introduced her and her siblings to the game of golf at an early age and has been hooked ever since. This, she said, was a natural outgrowth of what her now deceased parents would do if they were still with us.
Easily the most infectious and enjoyable interaction I had all day was with the youngster in the photo below. As we sat next to the TV camera tower on No. 14, one of the NBC/Golf Channel reporters, Amy Rogers, appeared inside the ropes next to the tower. This youngster – who I learned quickly is a big Nelly Korda fan – was her son. We chit-chatted as we awaited the first group to arrive at the 14th green, he made me put on my foam USA finger, and he also ensured I was participating in the “USA! USA! USA!” chants … especially following that eagle putt by Korda.
So. Much. Fun.
