GAINESVILLE, Va. — Hello friends, and happy Thursday from the Solheim Cup!

The vibes are great here at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club. There are fans everywhere, the pros are super-energetic and everybody’s ready to get the competition underway on Friday. The winning U.S. Junior Solheim Cup team is on site today, and they gave one of the most entertaining press conferences I’ve ever seen today. They mentioned karaoke on the team bus, making TikToks with their captain and the other sports they played as kids. I’m loving Gen Z’s place in the golf world right now. It makes these incredible players more relatable and we get to see their personalities a bit.

I was lucky enough to attend the Solheim Cup Gala on Wednesday night at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, and I’m here to tell you all about it. Without further ado, here’s my recap of the evening.

The vibes

I took an Uber into D.C. with my pal and fellow media member Gabby Herzig. After sitting in traffic for well over an hour, we got out on the red carpet leading up the steps at the Smithsonian. The teams had not yet arrived, so we made sure to take some photos and pretend that all the photographers were there for us (they very much were not). After that, we made our way into the cocktail hour in one of the most beautiful rooms I’ve ever seen.

Cocktail hour at the Solheim Cup Gala
Cocktail hour at the Solheim Cup Gala. Claire Rogers
Not only was there a regular bar at the event but there also was a second bar in the back exclusively for espresso martinis. Soon, we were ushered into the Kogod courtyard for dinner and we found our seats before both teams were introduced.

The Solheim Cup Gala program
The Solheim Cup Gala program Claire Rogers
The problem with attending an event this fancy is that it’s going to be hard for anything else I attend to live up to it.

The Solheim Cup Gala dinner in the Kogod Courtyard
The arrivals
The European team wore matching cream outfits to the gala and definitely had fun strolling down the red carpet. Side note: I’m jealous of the women who were smart enough to wear sneakers to this event. Standing in heels for hours on end is not for the weak (me).

The American team wore navy and black gowns and looked sharp as they made their way inside. Nelly Korda attended the Met Gala in May, so she already had some red-carpet experience.

Lexi Thompson on the red carpet at the Solheim Cup Gala
Alison Lee arrives at the Solheim Cup Gala
Shout out to Megan Khang’s festive purse, which had a bedazzled American flag pattern on it. The players and fans are going all out with their red, white and blue this week.

Megan Khang arrives at the Solheim Cup Gala
Nelly Korda arrives at the Solheim Cup Gala
Allisen Corpuz arrives at the Solheim Cup Gala
Lilia Vu arrives at the Solheim Cup Gala
The gala entrances
My favorite part of the night was when all the players were introduced. Players were called out by name as they entered the room and walked to the stage at the front. It was like when the DJ makes all of the bridesmaids and groomsmen enter the wedding reception before the couple, but about 10 times cooler and without any of the tackiness.

This was golf’s version of New York Fashion Week. Everybody was all gussied up and they had a little makeshift runway to walk on as they made their way through the crowd. I was sort of hoping the Americans would play Miley Cyrus’ “Party in the U.S.A.” as a walk-in song, but it seems like that’s not something that really happens at black-tie events. Maybe they’ll play it on the range or something later this week.

Alison Lee at the Solheim Cup Gala. LPGA
Nelly Korda at the Solheim Cup Gala. LPGA
Stacy Lewis at the Solheim Cup Gala. LPGA
After being honored on stage, players from both teams walked through the crowd and were seated for dinner. Each player was assigned a different table, and Nelly Korda sat at the one next to mine. The people-watching here was superb. I found myself looking all over the place while listening to the panel that Mel Reid and Morgan Pressel were on.

Team USA at the Solheim Cup Gala LPGA
This was my first black-tie event and I had no idea what to expect going into it. I had so much fun meeting other people in golf, exploring the Smithsonian and getting hyped up for the rest of the week here at the Solheim Cup. I’m already looking forward to the 2026 Solheim Cup Gala (and hoping they’ll invite me back)!