6 Things You Probably Didn't Know About The Masters Champions Dinner

The Champions Dinner is one of the many traditions of Masters week, and this year it's Rory McIlroy's turn to take on hosting duties.

The Northern Irishman finally sealed the career grand slam last year to win his first Green Jacket, and one of the many perks he got for winning comes to fruition this week in the iconic Augusta National clubhouse.

McIlroy's Champions Dinner menu is highlighted by a choice of wagyu filet mignon or seared salmon for mains before a sticky toffee pudding dessert, all served with different wines.

The dinner takes place on the second floor of the clubhouse before past champions spill out into the library and balcony for festivities.

So, how well do you know The Masters Champions dinner? We don't know much due to its exclusivity, but here are some fascinating details you may not have known...

The Masters Club, founded by Ben Hogan

Did you know it isn't actually called the Masters Champions Dinner?

It's an apt description of the evening but the official name is The Masters Club.

It was founded in 1952, 18 years after the first Masters Tournament, and was organized by 1951 champion Ben Hogan.

Hogan proposed the formation of The Masters Club with its membership limited to Masters champions.

Hogan is said to have founded the traditional dinner due to being "so appreciative of the honor" of being a Masters champion as well as a thank you to Augusta National for its good wishes after his 1949 car crash.

Honorary memberships were also extended to Masters co-founders Bobby Jones and Clifford Roberts. Augusta National chairmen have since been added as honorary members, with current chair Fred Ridley the only non-Masters champion in the club.

Friday

The Champions Dinner traditionally takes place on Tuesday of tournament week, but that's not how it first started out.

Originally in 1952, Ben Hogan organized the dinner for Friday evening following the second round of The Masters. That stayed the same until seven years later, when Arnold Palmer's first of four dinners as defending champion took place on Tuesday.

It has remained on Tuesday evening ever since.

The host pays

The evening is all about the defending champion, who not only selects the menu but also foots the bill.

Mike Weir said in a podcast appearance that he spent around $20,000 on his dinner in 2005, which is estimated to be around $33,500 today with inflation.

Rory McIlroy's four wines are thought to cost over $5,000 if you bought a single bottle of each, and he's likely taking a dozen of each considering there are over 30 attendees.

I'd guess that's around $60,000 on wine alone and then there are the appetizers, the first course, mains and dessert.

Rory McIlroy's net worth is estimated at $300m and he has won $8,543,021 at The Masters alone during his career, including $4.2m last year, so I'm sure he'll be more than happy to splash out.

Golden Locket

As well as the iconic Masters trophy and Green Jacket, the champion also gets a special gift upon joining The Masters Club.

That is in the form of an inscribed, three-piece gold locket in the shape of the Augusta National emblem, which is considered as a 'certificate of membership in The Masters Club.'

It features a silhouette of the clubhouse and the champion’s name inside on one side and the words: “Ben Hogan, founder of the Masters Club” on the other.

There is little in terms of imagery of the locket, but we managed to get a good glimpse of one belonging to 1938 champion Henry Picard listed on Golden Age Auctions.

The lockets are usually given to players' wives, Ben Crenshaw said according to golf.com.

Ben Crenshaw, the host

The Masters Club has a host and Master of Ceremonies, and the current man in the role is Ben Crenshaw.

The 1984 and 1995 Masters champion has been host of the dinner since 2005, taking over duties from Byron Nelson. Ben Hogan acted as host for the first four years before Nelson took over in 1956.

It means all three hosts of The Masters Club have been Texans.

“I tried to just keep things rolling,” Crenshaw told Masters.com in 2015. “That’s my job. I try to just keep things rolling and get people involved in discussion.

“And it was a great discussion night. Everybody chimed in. That’s the way it’s supposed to be, because it’s a night of reliving old times for all of us, and the old ones want to know what the young ones are doing.

"The young ones want to know how the old ones won the Tournament, who was involved, what decisions they made. It’s fascinating. Sort of bridges the generational gap.”

Seating plan

There is no 'official' seating plan, but players have spoken many times that it largely says the same every year.

Jack Nicklaus has been attending the evening since 1964, so traditions are deep rooted.

Augusta National chairman Fred Ridley is said to sit at the head of the table alongside the newly inducted defending champion, who will be Rory McIlroy this year. Typically, Master of Ceremonies Ben Crenshaw will sit there too.

Adam Scott, who won The Masters in 2013, summarised the situation well, saying: “It’s not assigned seating, but a lot people sit in the same chairs. I like that, to be perfectly honest. I like the fact that you kind of feel like that’s your spot.”

Scottie Scheffler also gave some insight ahead of his second turn at hosting duties in 2025.

"Guys kind of have like, I would say, sections where they sit. But you move around a little bit," he said.

"There's not necessarily assigned seats, but I'm definitely not going to go sit in the area where Tiger and Jack sit. Like, there's kind of spots where you kind of feel you'll naturally flow into."

The World No.1 revealed he has now found his spot alongside fellow Texans Zach Johnson and Jordan Spieth.

"So Zach and Jordan always sat next to each other. And I definitely didn't ask Jordan to sit by him, because he would have done something to make sure that I didn't have a place to sit," he said.

"So I kind of looked at Zach, I was like, Hey, where are you sitting this year? And he told me, and he was nice and let me join him. But I definitely wasn't going to ask Jordan for that because he would have messed with me."