Rory McIlroy has already chosen the menu for the traditional Masters champions’ dinner, the event that brings together each year, on the Tuesday of tournament week, all the winners of the Augusta Major. The Northern Irishman, the reigning champion, has prepared a menu featuring nods to his childhood, to Georgia’s local cuisine and to some of his favourite dishes.
The menu starts with four starters: bacon-wrapped dates, grilled mini elk burgers, rock prawn tempura and peach and ricotta flatbread. The bacon-wrapped dates refer to a recipe his mother often made when he was a child, while the peach flatbread incorporates a local touch, with a Georgia flavour. McIlroy has also explained that he ate quite a lot of elk while preparing for last year’s Masters, hence its presence on the menu.
As the first course, McIlroy has chosen a yellowfin tuna carpaccio, inspired by a dish from Le Bernardin, one of his favourite restaurants in New York. For the main course, the champions will be able to choose between wagyu filet mignon or pan-seared salmon. And for dessert, the Masters winner has opted for a very recognisable classic: sticky toffee pudding.
The champions’ dinner is one of the great traditions of the Masters. It is held each year at Augusta National and it is the reigning champion who chooses the menu for the other champions. Last year, for example, Scottie Scheffler went for a menu strongly marked by his Texan roots, with sliders, spicy prawns, chilli, ribeye or redfish.
In McIlroy’s case, the choice outlines a varied menu, less tied to a single tradition and more connected to personal memories and his own tastes. Augusta already has a dinner for one of its most special nights.
