2024 Masters Champions Dinner primer: How it started, best meals, this year’s feast
BY: KEVIN CUNNINGHAM APRIL 9, 2024
This year’s Masters Champions dinner host, Jon Rahm (right), with last year’s host, Scottie Scheffler (left).CHRISTIAN PETERSEN/GETTY IMAGES
The Masters Champions Dinner is the first big event of Masters week, occurring days before the 2024 Masters officially gets underway on Thursday morning. Here’s everything you need to know about the Masters Champions Dinner.
What is the Masters Champions Dinner?
The Masters Champions Dinner, officially known as the Masters Club dinner occurs on Tuesday night of Masters week each year, and the list of invitees is short. Only past Masters winners and the Augusta National chairman get a seat at the prestigious dinner.
Past champions file into the clubhouse for the annual dinner decked out in the green jackets. The winner from the previous year selects the menu and gives a speech to open the proceedings.
How the Masters Champions Dinner started
The Masters Champions Dinner is one of Augusta National’s oldest traditions, but it’s not as old as the tournament itself.
The first Masters tournament was held in 1934, one year after the club founded by Bobby Jones and Clifford Roberts opened. But the first Masters Champions Dinner didn’t occur until 1952. Ben Hogan was the host of the inaugural dinner, having won his first Masters title in 1951.
Best Masters Champions Dinner meals
While some champions, especially American ones, go the low-key route with their Champions Dinner menus (Tiger Woods once famously served burgers, fries and shakes), some pull out all the stops, with international winners often choosing menus inspired by the cuisine of their home countries.
A few years ago, 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 at the 2012 dinner served up chilled seafood bar jumbo shrimp, lobster cocktail, crab meat, crab legs and oysters.
Lewis also honored Adam Scott’s 2014 course of Australian wagyu beef, Moreton Bay lobster, sautéed spinach and onion creamed mashed potatoes.
As for Tiger, he worked a little harder with the 2020 Champions Dinner, selecting Augusta Rolls (tempura shrimp, spicy tuna, avocado, eel sauce), Steak and chicken fajitas; grilled vegetables; Mexican rice; sour cream; guacamole; pico de Gallo; flour tortillas. And a dessert trio of flan, churros and sopapillas.
2024 Masters Champions Dinner menu
Jon Rahm won the 2023 Masters, which means he is the honored host in 2024 and gets to select the menu. And Rahm pulled out all the stops. He tapped world famous Spanish chef José Andrés to help him design and make the menu.
The extensive meal starts with six options for tapas and pintxos, Spanish words for starters and small snacks. The options 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 classic lentil stew), Croqueta de Pollo (Creamy chicken fritters with confit potatoes).
For the main course, Masters winners will get to choose 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 Country 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.
Recent Masters Champions Dinners
Scottie Scheffler, 2023: Cheeseburger sliders (“Served Scottie-Style”) and firecracker shrimp; warm tortilla soup garnished with avocado, crispy blue tortilla strips, sour cream, cilantro and lime; Texas ribeye or blackened redfish, traditional southern sides (mac & cheese, jalapeño creamed corn, fried Brussels sprouts and seasoned fries) served family style; gooey chocolate chip cookies served on a warm skillet with milk-and-cookies ice cream.
Hideki Matsuyama, 2022: Assorted sushi, sashimi and nigiri, as well as yakitori chicken 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, house or caesar salad, mashed potatoes and spring vegetables, 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 chicken fajitas with grilled vegetables, 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: International salad, traditional Spanish lobster rice, tres leches ice cream and Espuma.
Danny Willett, 2017: Mini cottage pies, Sunday roast, apple crumble, coffee, tea.
Jordan Spieth, 2016: Authentic Texas barbecue (that includes brisket, chicken and pork ribs), baked beans, corn muffins, and a warm chocolate chip cookie.
Bubba Watson, 2015: (Watson chose the same dinner as he did in 2013) Caesar salad, grilled chicken breast, green 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 passion fruit pavlova, Anzac biscuit and vanilla sundae.
Bubba Watson, 2013: Caesar salad, grilled chicken breast, green 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, chicken, steaks and sausages.
Phil Mickelson, 2011: Seafood paella and machango-topped filet mignon. Mickelson chose a Spanish menu in honor of Seve Ballesteros, who was too ill 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 chicken fajitas.
Phil Mickelson, 2005: Lobster ravioli and Caesar salaMike 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: Chicken panang curry, baked Chilean sea bass, rack of lamb in yellow curry sauce, and sea scallops in a pepper garlic sauce. (Prepared by a chef Singh brought in from Atlanta).
Jose Maria Olazabal, 2000: Tapas, grilled filet of beef.
Mark O’Meara, 1999: Chicken fajitas and steak fajitas.
Tiger Woods, 1998: Cheeseburgers, french fries and milkshakes.
Nick Faldo, 1997: Fish and chips.