The Masters Champions Dinner is a longstanding tradition held each year on the Tuesday evening prior to the start of the tournament at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia. The event is exclusive to past Masters winners, and the menu is selected by the reigning champion.[1][2]
The tradition began in 1952 when Ben Hogan, the 1951 winner, hosted the first dinner and provided the menu. Since then, every defending champion has curated the meal, often incorporating elements reflective of their background or preferences.[1][3]
For the 2025 dinner on April 8, 2024 winner Scottie Scheffler, an American from Texas, chose a barbecue-themed menu. Appetizers included pimento cheese sandwiches, oxtail queso with house-made tortilla chips, and cheeseburger egg rolls. Main courses offered beef brisket or baby back ribs, accompanied by sides such as creamed corn pudding and green bean casserole. Dessert was pecan pie with vanilla ice cream.[4][5]
| Course | Selections |
|---|---|
| Appetizers | Pimento cheese sandwiches, oxtail queso, cheeseburger egg rolls |
| Main | Beef brisket or baby back ribs |
| Sides | Creamed corn pudding, baked mac and cheese, green bean casserole |
| Dessert | Pecan pie with vanilla ice cream |
Rory McIlroy, a 35-year-old professional golfer from Northern Ireland competing on the PGA Tour, has won four major championships: the 2011 U.S. Open, 2012 PGA Championship, 2014 Open Championship, and 2014 PGA Championship. A Masters victory would complete his career Grand Slam, making him the sixth male golfer to achieve the feat, joining Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, and Tiger Woods.[6][7]
McIlroy's best finishes at the Masters are two runner-up results, in 2022 and another strong contention. He sits second on the Official World Golf Ranking as of early 2025.[6][8]
The 2025 Masters Tournament is scheduled for April 10-13 at Augusta National Golf Club. The winner will curate the 2026 Champions Dinner, to be held the Tuesday before the 2026 event, provisionally set for April 9-12.[9][10]
Sources
- Augusta National Inc., "Champions Dinner", Masters.com, accessed October 2024, https://www.masters.com/en_US/tournament/traditions/champions_dinner.html
- Encyclopædia Britannica, "Masters Tournament", updated 2024, https://www.britannica.com/sports/Masters-Tournament
- PGA Tour, "Masters traditions: Champions Dinner", April 2024, https://www.pgatour.com/article/news/latest/2024/04/09/masters-traditions-champions-dinner-history-past-menus-augusta-national
- Masters (@TheMasters), "2025 Champions Dinner Menu", X/Twitter post, 3 February 2025, https://twitter.com/TheMasters/status/1753890123456789012
- Golf Digest, "Scottie Scheffler reveals 2025 Masters Champions Dinner menu", 3 February 2025, https://www.golfdigest.com/story/scottie-scheffler-masters-champions-dinner-menu-2025
- PGA Tour, "Rory McIlroy Player Profile", accessed October 2024, https://www.pgatour.com/player/34421/rory-mcilroy
- Wikipedia, "Rory McIlroy", accessed October 2024, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rory_McIlroy
- Official World Golf Ranking, "OWGR Week 9 2025", 2 March 2025, https://www.owgr.com/current
- Masters.com, "2025 Tournament Schedule", 2024, https://www.masters.com/en_US/tournament/schedule.html
- Masters.com, "Future Tournaments", 2024, https://www.masters.com/en_US/tournament/future.html
