GAINESVILLE, Va. — LPGA Commissioner Mollie Marcoux Samaan responded Saturday to the tour’s failure to get fans to the Solheim Cup in time to see Friday’s opening matches but did not offer a full explanation for the controversy that led to speculation about her future.
The players came out Friday morning in front of the empty fairways at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Club, calming what could have been a rough start to the team tournament between the United States and Europe. The stands were packed on Saturday, but the damage has already been done, as media coverage has focused more on technical problems than on Nelly Korda’s first day of golf with the American.
“At the end of the day I am the leader of the organization and I have to own it,” said Marcoux Samaan.
RTJ is located on a private estate served by a single road off US Route 29 about 40 miles west of Washington, DC. 2017 without essential transportation. problems.
Marcoux Samaan said there aren’t enough buses at Jiffy Lube Live, a concert venue where fans pay $30 to park, without explaining why the LPGA doesn’t have a fleet of vehicles ready to shuttle spectators encouraged to go golfing. before dawn but instead spent hours standing in line with little or no access to toilets.
Asked how many buses there are, Marcoux Samaan refused to answer directly.
“It’s a tough question, again, we’ve been writing spreadsheets and trying to figure it all out,” he said. “We didn’t have enough buses this morning, obviously.”
The LPGA Tour is responsible for local operations at the Solheim Cup when it is played in the United States. The last US event was in 2021 in Ohio, when the COVID-19 pandemic limited the number of international fans.
“This was an LPGA issue,” said Marcoux Samaan.
The commissioner said tourism staff spent much of Friday in “trial mode” trying to diagnose the problem and ensure traveling fans would be kept off the golf course properly. More than 12 hours passed before the LPGA posted a statement on social media promising Saturday’s development and emailed fans a letter that included the promise of free tickets to be used this weekend.
“We had workers there, and we were trying to communicate with the people who were there,” said Marcoux Samaan. “I think we thought that was more important than getting something wider in communications.”
Marcoux Samaan, who has been the commissioner of the LPGA for three years, also faced questions earlier this year about the marketing of this tour of the high-class Korda, who has a history of six victories in seven events, including a major tournament, which attracted television viewers.
The commissioner pointed to the increased involvement in sports as a sign of the growing popularity of his tour.
“The percentage of women playing has increased over the past few years. The number of young girls playing golf has continued to grow,” he said. “I think our team is working hard to improve the game.”
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