Scottie Scheffler earns praise at Augusta National, but his 2023 Champions Dinner menu drew complaints. Danny Willett, the 2016 winner, described the Mexican tortilla soup as ‘f***ing rocket fuel.’ ‘I asked him if he was trying to kill us all off,’ Willett said. ‘Brutal. We’re sat at that table and sweating.’
The Exclusive Champions Dinner Tradition
This gathering occurs every Tuesday during Masters week in the clubhouse’s second-floor library. The 40-foot table seats past champions for life. Winners host and select the menu. Gary Player, 90 years old with three Green Jackets, calls it more than a meal. ‘When you sit in that room, you are surrounded by the history of that great tournament,’ Player stated. ‘It is not simply a dinner. It is a celebration. Special.’
Menu Disasters and Champion Picks
Menus vary wildly. Tiger Woods has offered burgers, milkshakes, porterhouse steak, fajitas, and sushi. Sir Nick Faldo chose fish and chips, Sandy Lyle selected haggis, and Bernhard Langer included Wiener schnitzel. Ian Woosnam’s 1992 plan for Welsh lamb in hay failed due to shipping rules. ‘Everyone was chewing through this thing!’ Woosnam recalled.
Bubba Watson’s 2013 and 2015 choices—Caesar salad, grilled chicken, mashed potatoes, corn, macaroni and cheese, vanilla ice cream—faced backlash. Faldo likened it to a Happy Meal. Watson often eats a burrito beforehand.
Rory McIlroy, the newest champion, plans grilled elk sliders, Wagyu filet mignon or seared salmon, yellowfin tuna carpaccio, and bacon-wrapped dates. He selected wines like 1990 Château Lafite Rothschild, covering the five-figure bill.
Risqué Jokes and Legendary Stories
Butch Harmon shared tales from his father Claude, 1948 champion. Sam Snead told off-color jokes, prompting Byron Nelson to redirect to golf talk. ‘Sam couldn’t help himself,’ Harmon noted.
Herman Keiser once fell asleep in the bathroom after heavy drinking. Charles Coody described the table’s far end as reprobate territory. Snead favored that spot.
Seating Dynamics and Unspoken Rules
No formal seating chart exists, creating tension. Hosts sit at the head initially. Tiger Woods sits left of the head with Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson—no one encroaches. Player sits apart, often near Faldo. Pairs include Zach Johnson with Jordan Spieth, Jon Rahm with Sergio Garcia. Willett sits opposite Woods and Nicklaus. ‘There is no defined rule on where you sit and that can make you nervous,’ Willett said. Pre-dinner pacts form like schoolyard deals.
Timeless Rituals with Modern Twists
The dinner began in 1952 with nine attendees, mandated to wear Green Jackets. Now, over 30 attend plus chairman Fred Ridley. Ben Crenshaw emcees since 2005. Player recalls sitting by Bobby Jones at his first in 1962, gaining course tips for two more wins.
Arnold Palmer once complained about fairway grass direction to chairman Hord Hardin. ‘We’re good, but we’re not that good—we can’t always hit the down-grain,’ Palmer said. Mowing changed permanently. Langer learned: ‘Be careful what you ask for!’
Amid golf’s LIV tensions, the 2023 dinner with six LIV players passed cordially. Phil Mickelson has grown quieter. ‘He has become a bit quieter in there, which is a shame,’ Willett observed. ‘Great storyteller.’
The event lasts about 90 minutes. ‘It’s a really special evening. And a privilege to be there,’ Willett added. ‘It will never get old. I hope it never changes.’
