Masters Champions Dinner: History, Menus and the Most Popular Foods Served at Augusta

By Thomas Leary

Mar 18th, 2026 3:29 PM EDT

How will Rory's menu stack up to past Masters iterations? (USATODAY)

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What Is the Masters Champions Dinner?

The Champions Dinner takes place every Tuesday of Masters week at Augusta National Golf Club. Past champions gather in the Library on the clubhouse's second floor for a meal chosen — and paid for — entirely by the defending champion.

Ben Hogan organized the first dinner in 1952 as a simple gathering of former winners. The only non-champion in the room is Augusta National's chairman, currently Fred Ridley. Before eating, champions pose for their annual group photo, and the defending champion (this year Rory McIlroy) receives an inscribed gold locket as his certificate of membership in the Masters Club.

One important detail: past champions aren't required to eat off the defending champion's menu. Augusta National's kitchen always prepares alternatives -- a footnote that became famous when Sir Nick Faldo compared Bubba Watson's 2014 spread to a trip to Chuck E. Cheese.

Before you head to your favorite US betting app ahead of The Masters, fill your plate with Champions Dinner history.

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A Tradition Unlike Any Other

The Masters
Champions Dinner

What's on the Menu?

Every year, the defending champion picks the menu for golf's most exclusive meal. From Tiger's cheeseburgers to Rahm's Basque feast — 42 menus, decoded.

Menus Analyzed

1952

Tradition Started

Cuisines Represented

Most-Served Foods

Across 42 publicly known menus from 1985 to 2026, these are the dishes that have appeared most frequently at the Champions Dinner.

Cuisine Origins

As the Masters became more international, so did the dinner. Champions increasingly use the menu to showcase their heritage.

Iconic Menus

Some Champions Dinners live in infamy — for their ambition, their simplicity, or the stories behind them.

Every Known Masters Champions Dinner Menu (1985–2026)

2026 — Rory McIlroy: Peach ricotta flatbread, rock shrimp tempura, elk sliders, bacon-wrapped dates, yellowfin tuna carpaccio, wagyu filet mignon or seared salmon
2025 — Scottie Scheffler: Cheeseburger sliders, firecracker shrimp, meatball ravioli bites, chili, cowboy ribeye or blackened redfish, mac & cheese, jalapeño creamed corn, chocolate chip skillet cookie
2024 — Jon Rahm: Ibérico ham, Basque chorizo, Mama Rahm's lentil stew, Spanish omelette, Basque crab salad, ribeye or turbot, puff pastry cake
2023 — Scottie Scheffler: Cheeseburger sliders, firecracker shrimp, tortilla soup, Texas ribeye or blackened redfish, mac & cheese, chocolate chip skillet cookie
2022 — Hideki Matsuyama: Sushi, sashimi, nigiri, yakitori skewers, miso-glazed black cod, A5 Miyazaki Wagyu ribeye, Japanese strawberry shortcake
2021 — Dustin Johnson: Pigs in a blanket, lobster corn fritters, filet mignon or miso sea bass, mashed potatoes, peach cobbler, apple pie
2020 — Tiger Woods: Shrimp tempura roll with spicy tuna, prime steak, chicken fajitas, churros, flan, sopapillas
2019 — Patrick Reed: Bone-in cowboy ribeye, mac & cheese, creamed spinach, creamed corn, tiramisu crème brûlée, chocolate praline cheesecake
2018 — Sergio García: Spanish lobster rice, international salad, tres leches cake
2017 — Danny Willett: Mini cottage pies, prime rib Sunday roast, Yorkshire pudding, apple crumble with custard
2016 — Jordan Spieth: Texas BBQ — brisket, smoked chicken, pork ribs, baked beans, warm chocolate chip cookie
2015 — Bubba Watson: Caesar salad, grilled chicken, green beans, mashed potatoes, mac & cheese, confetti cake (same as 2013)
2014 — Adam Scott: Arugula salad with calamari, Australian Wagyu NY strip, Moreton Bay lobster, passion fruit pavlova
2013 — Bubba Watson: Caesar salad, grilled chicken, green beans, mashed potatoes, mac & cheese, confetti cake
2012 — Charl Schwartzel: Iced seafood platter, biltong, South African braai — filet mignon, lamb chops, boerewors, meringue sundae
2011 — Phil Mickelson: Seafood paella, Manchego-topped filet mignon, asparagus, apple empanada (tribute to Seve Ballesteros)
2010 — Ángel Cabrera: Beef empanadas, Argentine stew, asado — chorizo, blood sausage, sweetbreads, short ribs
2009 — Trevor Immelman: Bobotie (meat pie), sosaties (chicken skewers), spinach salad, milk tart
2008 — Zach Johnson: Shrimp, crab cakes, lobster bisque, filet mignon, seared ahi tuna, Iowa corn pudding, flourless chocolate cake
2007 — Phil Mickelson: Oysters, shrimp, crab, fried chicken, baby back ribs, brisket, sausage, coleslaw, fried okra
2006 — Tiger Woods: Salsa, ceviche, guacamole, steak and chicken fajitas, Mexican rice, apple pie
2005 — Phil Mickelson: Caesar salad, garlic bread, lobster ravioli in tomato cream sauce
2004 — Mike Weir: Canadian wild game — elk, boar, Arctic char, fried chicken, filet mignon, Canadian beer
2003 — Tiger Woods: Sushi, sashimi, crab cakes, porterhouse steak, grilled chicken, chocolate truffle cake
2002 — Tiger Woods: Sushi, sashimi, porterhouse steak, grilled chicken, mashed potatoes, chocolate cake
2001 — Vijay Singh: Chicken saté, tamarind spring rolls, tom kah soup, panang curry, sea scallops, rack of lamb
2000 — José María Olazábal: Romaine salad, beef filet with red wine sauce, papitas fritas
1999 — Mark O'Meara: Sushi, sashimi, chicken and steak fajitas
1998 — Tiger Woods: Cheeseburgers, grilled chicken sandwiches, french fries, milkshakes
1997 — Nick Faldo: Tomato soup, fish and chips
1996 — Ben Crenshaw: Beef brisket, pork ribs, Hill Country sausage, peach cobbler
1995 — José María Olazábal: Collard green soup, crabmeat cocktail, halibut in green sauce, rack of lamb, NY sirloin
1994 — Bernhard Langer: Wedding soup, turkey and dressing, Black Forest torte
1993 — Fred Couples: Chicken cacciatore, spaghetti
1992 — Ian Woosnam: Leek and potato soup, leg of Welsh lamb, apple pie
1991 — Nick Faldo: Steak and kidney pie
1990 — Nick Faldo: Shepherd's pie
1989 — Sandy Lyle: Crabmeat cocktail, haggis with neeps and tatties, broiled pompano
1988 — Larry Mize: Steak, peach cobbler
1987 — Jack Nicklaus: Shrimp cocktail, lobster tail, NY sirloin, fried chicken, green beans amandine, Black Forest cake, apple pie
1986 — Bernhard Langer: Wiener schnitzel, spaetzle, Black Forest cake
1985 — Ben Crenshaw: NY prime steak, lobster tail, chicken, baked potato, green beans amandine, peaches with ice cream

The Most Popular Masters Champions Dinner Foods

We tallied all 42 menus — the patterns are clear. Beef steak dominates with 28 appearances across cuts (ribeye, filet mignon, porterhouse, NY strip). Chicken (14) is the reliable second protein. Lobster and shellfish (10) and fish entrees round out the top proteins.

For sides, potatoes lead (11), followed by green beans, asparagus, and mac and cheese. Vanilla ice cream (13) is the top dessert component, with chocolate desserts and apple pie/cobbler close behind. And sushi has appeared seven times -- almost entirely thanks to Tiger Woods, who included it in four of his five dinners.

How International Cuisines Transformed the Menu

Bernhard Langer's 1986 wiener schnitzel is widely considered the turning point — proving the dinner could be a platform for cultural pride. American/Southern cuisine still leads (16 menus), followed by British, Tex-Mex, and Spanish/Basque, with 13 cuisines represented in total.

Recent champions have leaned hard into heritage. Rahm's 2024 Basque tapas featured his mother's lentil stew. McIlroy's 2026 menu includes bacon-wrapped dates as a nod to his mom. Matsuyama's 2022 A5 Wagyu and sushi was a landmark for the tradition's global identity.

Most Memorable Masters Champions Dinner Menus

Tiger Woods, 1998: Cheeseburgers, french fries, and milkshakes. Tiger was 22. Byron Nelson reportedly loved it because his wife didn't let him eat that at home.

Vijay Singh, 2001: Flew in his own chefs for a Thai feast. Byron Nelson called it the best Champions Dinner in 50 years.

Bubba Watson, 2013 & 2015: Served the exact same meal both years — grilled chicken, mac and cheese, confetti cake. Faldo compared it to Chuck E. Cheese.

Phil Mickelson, 2011: A Spanish-themed tribute to Seve Ballesteros, who was too ill to attend. Ballesteros passed the following month.

Hideki Matsuyama, 2022: Japan's first Masters champion served A5 Miyazaki Wagyu and artisan sushi — a milestone moment.

Jon Rahm, 2024: A six-course Basque tapas spread that set a new standard for Champions Dinner ambition.

Menu details prior to 1985 were not publicly shared — roughly 30 dinners from the tradition's first three decades have no documented menus.