How it started, best meals

The Masters Champions Dinner is the primary massive occasion of Masters week, occurring days earlier than the 2024 Masters formally will get underway on Thursday morning. Right here’s all the things it is advisable know in regards to the Masters Champions Dinner.

What’s the Masters Champions Dinner?

The Masters Champions Dinner, formally often called the Masters Membership dinner happens on Tuesday evening of Masters week annually, and the listing of invitees is brief. Solely previous Masters winners and the Augusta National chairman get a seat on the prestigious dinner.

Previous champions file into the clubhouse for the annual dinner decked out within the inexperienced jackets. The winner from the earlier yr selects the menu and provides a speech to open the proceedings.

How the Masters Champions Dinner began

The Masters Champions Dinner is certainly one of Augusta Nationwide’s oldest traditions, nevertheless it’s not as outdated because the event itself.

The primary Masters event was held in 1934, one yr after the membership based by Bobby Jones and Clifford Roberts opened. However the first Masters Champions Dinner didn’t happen till 1952. Ben Hogan was the host of the inaugural dinner, having received his first Masters title in 1951.

Greatest Masters Champions Dinner meals

Whereas some champions, particularly American ones, go the low-key route with their Champions Dinner menus (Tiger Woods as soon as famously served burgers, fries and shakes), some pull out all of the stops, with worldwide winners usually selecting menus impressed by the delicacies of their house nations.

A number of years in the past, chef Shaun Lewis ranked the best Masters Champions Dinner dishes of all time for GOLF.com. His winner was Charl Schwartzel, the 2011 Masters champ, who on the 2012 dinner served up chilled seafood bar jumbo shrimp, lobster cocktail, crab meat, crab legs and oysters.

Lewis additionally honored Adam Scott’s 2014 course of Australian wagyu beef, Moreton Bay lobster, sautéed spinach and onion creamed mashed potatoes.

As for Tiger, he labored a bit of tougher with the 2020 Champions Dinner, choosing Augusta Rolls (tempura shrimp, spicy tuna, avocado, eel sauce), Steak and hen fajitas; grilled greens; Mexican rice; bitter cream; guacamole; pico de Gallo; flour tortillas. And a dessert trio of flan, churros and sopapillas.

Jon Rahm received the 2023 Masters, which suggests he’s the honored host in 2024 and will get to pick out the menu. And Rahm pulled out all of the stops. He tapped world famous Spanish chef José Andrés to assist him design and make the menu.

The in depth meal begins with six choices for tapas and pintxos, Spanish phrases for starters and small snacks.

The choices are Ibericos (Acord-fed Iberian ham cured pork loin), Idiazabal con Trufa Negra (Idiazabal cheese, black truffle), Tortilla de Patatas (Spanish omelette, onions with confit potatoes), Chistorra con Patata (Spicy Basque chorizo and potato), Lentejas Estofadas (Mama Rahm’s basic lentil stew), Croqueta de Pollo (Creamy hen fritters with confit potatoes).

For the principle course, Masters winners will get to decide on between Chuleton a la Parrilla, a Basque ribeye steak with Tudela lettuce and Piquillo peppers, or Rodaballo al Pil-Pil, a typical fish dish from Basque Nation with turbot and Navarra white asparagus, and for dessert the Masters champs will dine on Milhojas de Crema y Nata, a puff pastry cake with custard and chantilly cream.

Latest Masters Champions Dinners

Scottie Scheffler, 2023: Cheeseburger sliders (“Served Scottie-Model”) and firecracker shrimp; heat tortilla soup garnished with avocado, crispy blue tortilla strips, bitter cream, cilantro and lime; Texas ribeye or blackened redfish, conventional southern sides (mac & cheese, jalapeño creamed corn, fried Brussels sprouts and seasoned fries) served household type; gooey chocolate chip cookies served on a heat skillet with milk-and-cookies ice cream.

Hideki Matsuyama, 2022: Assorted sushi, sashimi and nigiri, in addition to yakitori hen skewers as appetizers; miso glazed black cod and miyazaki wagyu; Japanese strawberry shortcake with whipped cream and amaou strawberries.

Dustin Johnson, 2021: Pigs in a Blanket and lobster and corn fritters, home or caesar salad, mashed potatoes and spring greens, filet mignon and miso-marinated sea bass, peach cobbler and apple pie with vanilla ice cream.

Tiger Woods, 2020: “Augusta” rolls (tempura shrimp, spicy tuna, avocado, eel sauce), prime steak and hen fajitas with grilled greens, refried beans and Mexican rice, flan, churros with chocolate sauce, sopapillas.

Patrick Reed, 2019: Caesar salad, wedge salad, prime bone-in cowboy ribeye, macaroni and cheese, creamed spinach, steamed broccoli, corn creme brûlée, cheesecake.

Sergio Garcia, 2018: Worldwide salad, conventional Spanish lobster rice, tres leches ice cream and Espuma.

Danny Willett, 2017: Mini cottage pies, Sunday roast, apple crumble, espresso, tea.

Jordan Spieth, 2016: Genuine Texas barbecue (that features brisket, hen and pork ribs), baked beans, corn muffins, and a heat chocolate chip cookie.

Bubba Watson, 2015: (Watson selected the identical dinner as he did in 2013) Caesar salad, grilled hen breast, inexperienced beans, mashed potatoes, corn, macaroni and cheese, cornbread, confetti cake and vanilla ice cream.

Adam Scott, 2014: Artichoke and arugula salad with calamari, Australian Wagyu beef New York Strip steak, Moreton Bay Bugs (Australian lobster), sauteed spinach, onion cream mashed potatoes, strawberry and fervour fruit pavlova, Anzac biscuit and vanilla sundae.

Bubba Watson, 2013: Caesar salad, grilled hen breast, inexperienced beans, mashed potatoes, corn, macaroni and cheese, and cornbread, confetti cake and vanilla ice cream.

Charl Schwartzel, 2012: A “braai,” a South African-style barbecue of pork, lamb chops, hen, steaks and sausages.

Phil Mickelson, 2011: Seafood paella and machango-topped filet mignon. Mickelson selected a Spanish menu in honor of Seve Ballesteros, who was too sick to attend.

Angel Cabrera, 2010: An Argentine asado, a five-course barbecue with blood sausage, pork sausage and beef ribs.

Trevor Immelman, 2009: Bobotie, a spiced minced meat baked with a custard topping.

Zach Johnson, 2008: Iowa beef and Florida shrimp.

Phil Mickelson, 2007: Barbecued ribs.

Tiger Woods, 2006: Steak and hen fajitas.

Phil Mickelson, 2005: Lobster ravioli and Caesar salad.

Mike Weir, 2004: Elk, wild boar, Arctic char, Canadian beer.

Tiger Woods, 2003: Porterhouse steak and sushi (repeat of his 2002 menu).

Tiger Woods, 2002: Porterhouse steak and sushi.

Vijay Singh, 2001: Hen panang curry, baked Chilean sea bass, rack of lamb in yellow curry sauce, and sea scallops in a pepper garlic sauce. (Ready by a chef Singh introduced in from Atlanta).

Jose Maria Olazabal, 2000: Tapas, grilled filet of beef.

Mark O’Meara, 1999: Hen fajitas and steak fajitas.

Tiger Woods, 1998: Cheeseburgers, french fries and milkshakes.

Nick Faldo, 1997: Fish and chips.

Kevin Cunningham

Golf.com Editor

As managing producer for GOLF.com, Cunningham edits, writes and publishes tales on GOLF.com, and manages the model’s e-newsletters, which attain greater than 1.4 million subscribers every month. A former two-time intern, he additionally helps maintain GOLF.com buzzing exterior the news-breaking tales and repair content material supplied by our reporters and writers, and works with the tech staff within the growth of latest merchandise and modern methods to ship a fascinating website to our viewers.