In Pictures: USA And Europe Attend Lavish Ryder Cup Gala Dinner

Players and partners attended a lavish Ryder Cup gala dinner in New York, where the fashion police had Europe one-up already thanks to Team USA's casual look

Team Europe golfers and wives and girlfriends pose for pictures at the 2025 Ryder Cup gala
(Image credit: Getty Images)
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Before the hostilities on the course begin, the two teams and their loved ones gathered for the traditional Ryder Cup gala dinner in New York.

So before they do battle on the fairways of Bethpage Black, Luke Donald's Europe and Keegan Bradley's Team USA walked the red carpet for a glitzy dinner in the Big Apple.

It was a dramatic setting at Hempstead House in Sands Point, New York - a huge 50,000-square-foot mansion in the form of a Tudor castle that welcomed the players and their wives and girlfriends.

The entrance to Hempstead House, on the north coast of Long Island, provided a brilliant backdrop for team photos and plenty of selfies from dolled up players and their significant others.

It's very much the calm before the storm ahead of what should be one of the fiercest Ryder Cup contests given the reputation for New York sports fans.

Before that, though, European players put on their best suits and ties for the occasion, with Team USA going a bit more casual with open shirts and no ties with their suits.

Bradley's boys also generated plenty of chatter on social media for sporting brilliant white sneakers on their feet instead of dress shoes - to complete the smart casual look.

Rory McIlroy and wife Erica were among the first to arrive with everyone seemingly in good spirits for what is one of the last fun elements of the week before the business gets serious.

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Team USA players and wives and girlfriends pose at the Ryder Cup gala dinner
(Image credit: Getty Images)

The atmosphere between the two captains has been nothing but respectful so far, with the two sets of players also largely getting along normally throughout the season.

Of course, the huge spat between McIlroy and Patrick Cantlay's caddie Joe La Cava in Rome last time will means there's more than an edge to proceedings once the first tee shot is struck.

There's also an ongoing beef between McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau that's worth watching out for once the action tees off.

With the USA turning up to the lavish gala dinner in white sneakers though, the fashion police already have Europe one-up.

Paul Higham
Paul Higham
Contributor

Paul Higham is a sports journalist with over 20 years of experience in covering most major sporting events for both Sky Sports and BBC Sport. He is currently freelance and covers the golf majors on the BBC Sport website.  Highlights over the years include covering that epic Monday finish in the Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor and watching Rory McIlroy produce one of the most dominant Major wins at the 2011 US Open at Congressional. He also writes betting previews and still feels strangely proud of backing Danny Willett when he won the Masters in 2016 - Willett also praised his putting stroke during a media event before the Open at Hoylake. Favourite interviews he's conducted have been with McIlroy, Paul McGinley, Thomas Bjorn, Rickie Fowler and the enigma that is Victor Dubuisson. A big fan of watching any golf from any tour, sadly he spends more time writing about golf than playing these days with two young children, and as a big fair weather golfer claims playing in shorts is worth at least five shots. Being from Liverpool he loves the likes of Hoylake, Birkdale and the stretch of tracks along England's Golf Coast, but would say his favourite courses played are Kingsbarns and Portrush. 

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