The Masters: The best Champions Dinner menus

Since 1952, it has been customary for the winner of the previous year’s tournament to set the menu for the so-called ‘Masters Club’ dinner, which is held on the Tuesday night of Masters week.

Sometimes known as the ‘Champions Dinner’, the tradition began when defending champion Ben Hogan organised a meal for all previous winners. Following the success of the night, the nine-time major champion proposed the formation of the Masters Club, with membership limited to the tournament’s champions.

Honorary memberships were also extended to Augusta National co-founders Bobby Jones and Clifford Roberts, while subsequent chairmen of the golf club – Bill Lane, Hord Hardin, Jack Stephens, Hootie Johnson, Billy Payne and, most recently, Fred Ridley – have also been added as honorary members.

Each year, the defending champion selects the menu and acts as host for the evening. In return, they receive an inscribed gold locket in the form of the club emblem – a token of their membership of the Masters Club.

As you might expect, some people have got rather creative with their choices of food. Here are some of the most memorable menus that have been on offer, from the more traditional meals to the downright bizarre…

Bernhard Langer
(1986 & 1994)
It wasn’t until the 1980s that Masters Club menus were first recorded, such was the simple, traditional fare customarily served at the dinner. German icon Langer was one of the first players to bring their own culture to the dinner, and many subsequent champions have followed suit. He chose Wiener schnitzel, which is breaded veal, and Black Forest cake, two popular meals in Germany. He won his second Green Jacket in 1993, and went with turkey for his main the following year.

Sandy Lyle
(1989)
Those who attended the Champions Dinner in 1989 won’t forget it in a hurry. Lyle made his country proud by serving up the classic Scottish dish of haggis, neeps and tatties. Not only that, he went the whole ten yards and attended the dinner in a kilt. “The older guys, like Jack Nicklaus, had been to Scotland and knew what haggis was but the newer ones, guys like Larry Mize, they weren’t too sure about that,” Lyle later told the Augusta Chronicle.

Tiger Woods
(1998)
Tiger’s has to be the most famous Champions Dinner of all time. After winning his first major the previous year at the age of 21, Woods returned to Augusta National in 1998 where he served up cheeseburgers, fries and milkshakes. “Hey, it’s part of being young” explained Woods. He has, of course, won the Masters on five occasions. He chose steak, chicken and sushi on his 2002 and 2003 menus; served fajitas in 2006; and went with prime steak and chicken fajitas in 2020.

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Mike Weir
(2004)
Weir caused a bit of a shock by winning the 2003 Masters. To this day, the left-hander remains the only Canadian man to win a major championship. He caused a bit of a stir with his Champions Dinner menu, too, selecting some rather intriguing meats from his native country. Weir served up elk and wild boar, as well as Arctic chair (which is a type of fish) and a selection of Canadian beer, naturally.

Phil Mickelson
(2005, 2007 & 2011)
Mickelson finally won his first Masters title in 2004 and has since gone on to host three Champions Dinners in his time. For his first, he went Italian, serving lobster ravioli in tomato cream sauce, Caesar salad and garlic bread. In 2007, he treated the members to barbecued ribs, chicken, sausage and pulled pork. Most recently, in 2011, Mickelson provided a classy menu honouring Seve Ballesteros, who was too ill to attend. He served Spanish seafood paella, tortillas and Spanish apple pie. “I just want him to know we all wish he was here and we are thinking about him,” Phil explained.

Zach Johnson
(2008)
Johnson crammed as many dishes and items of food as possible into his menu. The headline dish was veal osso bucco ravioli, which the menu indicated was the main course. However, Johnson, perhaps thinking he might not have the opportunity again, also provided his fellow champs with jumbo shrimp, crab cakes, lobster bisque, filet mignon, seared ahi tuna, Iowa corn pudding, sweet potato casserole, and flourless chocolate cake.

Adam Scott
(2014)
Scott served up one of the more unusual menus at Augusta. He asked for his favourite dish to be flown in from Australia, as he believed he had to go all-out to impress the members present. That included Moreton Bay ‘bugs’, which were in fact just baby lobsters. Scott’s appetiser was an artichoke and arugula salad with calamari, the main comprised Australian Wagyu beef New York Strip steak, served with the lobster, and strawberry and passion fruit pavlova for dessert, served with Anzac biscuit and vanilla sundae.

Danny Willett
(2017)
After his shock win in 2016, English ace Willett stayed true to his Yorkshire roots with his menu at the Champions Dinner the following year. He served a classic Sunday roast of prime rib beef, with roast potatoes, vegetables, and Yorkshire puddings. That was followed by an apple crumble with vanilla custard, Yorkshire tea, and English cheese and biscuits. “I could’ve gone a bit off the wall and a bit crazy but I want people to actually enjoy what they’re going to have,” Willett said. “It’s very much a menu of what I’ve liked and what I’ve had growing up.”

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Sergio Garcia
(2018)
Sergio celebrated winning his long-awaited maiden major in 2017 by returning to Augusta with a menu that had a bit of everything. Proceedings kicked off with a so-called “International Salad”, which contained ingredients from countries of all Masters champions. The main course was arroz caldoso de bogavante, which is essentially Spanish lobster rice. Dessert was his mother’s recipe for tres leches cake, served with ice cream.

Scottie Scheffler
(2023)
Texan star Scheffler laid on a four-course feast for his fellow Masters Club members when he returned to the scene of his major breakthrough in 2023. First on the menu were cheeseburger sliders – served ‘Scottie Style’ – alongside firecracker shrimp. Next up, was a tortilla soup, followed by one of two options for the main: a Texas ribeye steak or blackened redfish, served with macaroni and cheese, jalapeno creamed corn, fried brussels sprouts and fries. Dessert was a warm chocolate chip skillet cookie with ‘milk and cookies’ ice cream.