A tradition like no other… The Masters… Champions Dinner that is. An event that not everyone might know about in the golfing world. Every year on the Wednesday before the Masters tournament, an exclusive dinner between all the past Masters champions is held. The tradition was started in 1952 by golf legend Ben Hogan.
Related: Augusta National: The Most Exclusive Golf Course on Earth
Winner Picks!
So, what is the interesting part of this dinner you ask? The previous year’s green jacket winner gets to pick the meal that is served by the chefs at Augusta National Golf Club. This is a cool way to let the golfers showcase their hometown foods or maybe even see what type of foods they prefer.
I think it gives us a little extra personality from the players that we would all like to see. So, without further ado, here are the past twenty years worth of Masters Champions dinners:
Masters Champions Dinner from 1997-2018
| Year | Champion | Menu |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Nick Faldo | Fish and chips, tomato soup |
| 1998 | Tiger Woods | Cheeseburgers, chicken sandwiches, French fries, milkshakes |
| 1999 | Mark O'Meara | Chicken fajitas, steak fajitas, sushi, tuna sashimi |
| 2000 | Jose Maria Olazabal | Tapas, grilled filet of beef |
| 2001 | Vijay Singh | Seafood tom kah, chicken panang curry, baked sea scallops Lamb with yellow kari sauce, baked Chilean sea bass with chili sauce Lynchee sorbet |
| 2002 | Tiger Woods | Porterhouse steak, chicken, sushi |
| 2003 | Tiger Woods | Porterhouse steak, chicken, sushi Sashimi, crab cakes, asparagus, mashed potatoes Chocolate truffle cake |
| 2004 | Mike Weir | Elk, wild boar, Arctic Char, Canadian beer |
| 2005 | Phil Mickelson | Lobster ravioli in tomato cream sauce Caesar salad and garlic bread |
| 2006 | Tiger Woods | Stuffed jalapeno and quesadilla appetizers with salsa and guacamole Steak and chicken fajitas, Mexican rice, refried beans Apple pie, ice cream |
| 2007 | Phil Mickelson | BBQ Ribs, chicken, sausage, pulled pork, cole slaw |
| 2008 | Zach Johnson | Iowa beef and Florida Shrimp |
| 2009 | Trevor Immelman | Bobotie (spice minced meat pie with egg), chicken skewers South African wines |
| 2010 | Angel Cabrera | Argentine asado consisting of chorizo, blood sausage, short ribs, and beef filets |
| 2011 | Phil Mickelson | Seafood paella, machango-topped filet mignon Apple empanada with ice cream |
| 2012 | Charl Schwartzel | South African BBQ consisting of lamb chops, steaks, sausages Shrimp, lobster, crabmeat, crab legs, oysters Vanilla ice cream sundae |
| 2013 | Bubba Watson | Grilled chicken breast Caesar salad, green beans, mashed potatoes, corn, macaroni and cheese, cornbread Confetti cake, vanilla ice cream |
| 2014 | Adam Scott | Australian Wagyu beef New York Strip steak and Moreton Bay lobster Arugula salad, artichoke, calamari, mashed potatoes Strawberry passion fruit pavlova, biscuit, and vanilla sundae |
| 2015 | Bubba Watson | Grilled chicken breast Caesar salad, green beans, mashed potatoes, corn, macaroni and cheese, cornbread Confetti cake, vanilla ice cream |
| 2016 | Jordan Spieth | Texas BBQ (Beef brisket, smoked half chicken, pork ribs) Baked beans, bacon and chive potato salad, grilled zucchini, roasted squash Chocolate chip cookie, vanilla ice cream |
| 2017 | Danny Willett | Prime rib, roasted potatoes, and vegetables Mini Cottage Pies Apple crumble, vanilla custard |
| 2018 | Sergio Garcia | Arroz caldoso de bogavante (a traditional Spanish lobster rice) Tres leches cake (milk cake) |
Best Dinner Choices
There are a lot of great dinner choices on this list, but a few stand out to me. Jordan Spieth’s in 2016, Charl Schwartzel’s in 2012, and Tiger Woods’ in 1997.
Heart (And Ribs) of America
Spieth absolutely killed it with the Texas BBQ spread. Kudos to Jordan for bringing some hometown flavor and true American food to put on display at Augusta. If you haven’t been to Texas and had authentic BBQ there you really are missing out. It may be the greatest food America has to offer.
Texas Barbecue
I’ve had BBQ at a few different places in the Lonestar state and all of it was great (you need to check out Franklin’s Barbecue in Austin). Brisket, chicken, ribs. Oh, and don’t forget his dessert choice. Apple pie with ice cream? Keeping the American theme going. Damn Jordan, well done.
Surf and Turf
Schwartzel also brought in some BBQ from a distant place. Except instead of the southern part of the United States he brought it from all the way across the Atlantic, from South Africa. Along with the meats like sausage, pork chops, and steaks, he also gave the former champions some seafood options.
A good surf and turf combo will always please guests at a dinner. He also didn’t skimp out on the seafood options by lining up all the good stuff. Lobster, crab, shrimp, and even oysters.
Tiger Shows Who’s Boss
Tiger’s meal in 1998 was simple but one that won’t be forgotten. Burgers, fries, and milkshakes are the classic fast food of this country. This choice is a perfect fit for someone in Tiger’s position back in 1998 as he was new to the tour and extremely young.
It shows how much of a kid he was even though he had just beaten down the rest of the grown men on the PGA Tour by a dozen strokes.
Never Too Old For McDonald’s
It’s like when your mom would ask you and your siblings what you wanted for dinner when you were kids. Fast food would usually be among the most popular answers. Remember that Tiger was only 22 years old at the time and had just won his first Masters championship by the largest margin in history the year before.
Coming into his first champion’s dinner as probably the youngest guy there and ordering up a McDonald’s kids’ meal dinner? That is a power move if I’ve ever seen one.
Really Bubba?
Now, on to the worst dinner choice. Obviously, some of the meals were repeated by other golfers throughout the years but is Bubba Watson serious? Not only did he pick the same exact meal twice in a three-year span, he chose arguably the most boring meal on this entire list.
Most people would probably agree with me in saying a solid, healthy meal of grilled chicken and vegetables can hit the spot. But when you show up to the most famous golf club in the United States with a chance to pick the meal that the incredible chefs there will cook up, you don’t order that.
Related: The Masters Hole-by-Hole Guide
Playing It Safe
C’mon Bubba can you be any more boring? You already have a reputation of being a safe, boring, by-the-book guy off the course and this isn’t helping much. Not surprised that Bubba was once voted the least likely to be helped in a fight by his fellow tour players…
