For 17 years, Rory McIlroy desperately hungered to win his first green jacket at the Masters. A year later, he’s making sure those who came before him will leave the Champions Dinner with full stomachs.
His menu for the meal officially known as the Masters Club dinner is nearly as dramatic as the back nine he played at Augusta National to win the green jacket.
There are 12 items on the menu from appetizers to dessert, and then four labels from Augusta National’s fabled wine cellar.
“I think it would be pretty presumptuous to have a menu in your head before you actually win the tournament,” McIlroy said in a conference call Wednesday. “But I always thought about if I win the Masters one day, what would I want it to look like? What would I like to serve?”
He spared no expense, even with him picking up the tab as the host.
“Can’t wait to host the dinner on Tuesday night,” McIlroy said. “And then, obviously, be a part of that dinner for many, many years to come.”
Served in honor of Mr. Rory McIlroy. #themasters pic.twitter.com/hUp3uaQeNl
— The Masters (@TheMasters) March 18, 2026
There’s a taste of home in Northern Ireland with his mother’s bacon-wrapped dates as an appetizer and Irish champ as a side dish.
McIlroy stayed local with crispy Vidalia onion rings that come from a 20-county region in southeastern Georgia. There’s also a Georgia peach and ricotta flatbread.
And no, that isn’t just any yellowfin tuna carpaccio as the first course. The staff from Augusta National flew to his favorite restaurant in New York, Le Bernardin, to meet with the chef so they could prepare the dish just the way McIlroy likes it.
“It’s a really thin slice of French baguette with a really thin slice of foie gras on top of that and tuna carpaccio,” McIlroy said. “It’s a really simple dish, but every time we go to that restaurant [Le Bernardin], that’s the one thing that I have to have.”
The defending champion is host of the Masters Club dinner — also known as the “Champions Dinner” — a tradition that dates to 1952, when Ben Hogan started it. The dinner is only for Masters champions. The club chair, Fred Ridley, is an honorary member. It is held every year on the Tuesday evening of Masters week.
Scottie Scheffler last year had Texas touches with a cowboy ribeye, Texas-style chili and jalapeño creamed corn. Jon Rahm’s menu had a Spanish flavor. Hideki Matsuyama of Japan had sashimi. Sandy Lyle of Scotland served haggis, and Adam Scott of Australia included Moreton Bay lobster. Players from 13 countries have won the Masters.
After McIlroy’s appetizers and the first course have been served, the main course follows with a choice of wagyu filet mignon or seared salmon, alongside sauteed Brussel sprouts, glazed carrots with brown butter and crispy Vidalia onion rings.
And to finish it off, McIlroy has requested sticky toffee pudding with vanilla ice cream and warm toffee sauce.
“No, it wasn’t put together off the top of my head. I tried to be pretty thoughtful with it,” McIlroy said. “Tried to incorporate some of the things that I like and some little personal touches along the way. But at the same time, trying to put together a good enough menu that everybody would enjoy.”
Champagne and wine, of course, will be served, including a 1990 Château Lafite Rothschild from Pauillac in Bordeaux and a 1989 Château d’Yquem from Sauternes in Bordeaux.
Those two are especially meaningful to McIlroy, who said he had the Château Lafite Rothschild on the night he won the Masters last year to cap his career Grand Slam.
As for the Château d’Yquem?
“My birth year,” McIlroy said. “And I think every great meal deserves to be finished off with Château d’Yquem. It is like liquid gold.”
After an evening of camaraderie and celebration, McIlroy — and the others — will have another day of practice before getting back to the serious business of trying to win another green jacket.
The Masters begins April 9 (TV: ESPN, 3-7:30 p.m. ET).
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
