NORTH PLAINS, Ore. – The volunteers and staff of the LIV Golf Invitational Series are learning on the fly, and the crew this week in Portland for the second event were woefully unprepared for the fan turnout for Saturday’s final round.
Just 90 minutes before the shotgun start, LIV Golf announced the final round was expected to reach full capacity and that no more tickets would be available for purchase at the gate. By that point there was already a line of cars miles long waiting to get to the parking not just on the back roads leading to Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club, but extending to the highway.
“I live in Lake Oswego, so it’s usually like a 30 minute drive and it took two hours,” said Jim Curzon. “It was about two or three miles up (U.S. Highway) 26 and it started to really, really back up. Then probably another hour once we got off the highway just to get to the parking.”
Police were pulling over cars trying to cut in line. Some fans left their group behind in the car and walked to the gate on foot. Those who stayed in their cars and needed to use the bathroom used bushes along the side of the road.
LIV officials said they capped tickets this week, but wouldn’t give a number on how many fans were permitted to enter.
“There were some angry people cutting in because we could see the line back up,” added Curzon. “Maybe next year they have two exits off and a little better signage on the road.”