Nick Faldo rips on Bubba Watson's Masters champions' menu: "We had a little hamburger and a little corn and a little ice cream"

The Masters is a tournament rooted in tradition and the Champions’ Dinner is no exception. Former winners get together to reminisce, talk about golf, family, friends, tell jokes and have a good time amongst very select company.

One of the most curious tidbits of information that is made public about the dinner is what the previous year’s champion has chosen to include on the menu. Some very interesting choices come from some of the international players over the years.

Some of the best dinners include Jon Rahm’s in 2024 and Vijay Singh’s 2001 dinner, which Robert Allenby claims was delicioius. Speaking to Fruity King, Allenby said: “Elk is great. It’s really good. It’s funny some of the meals that people put together each year at Augusta,” Allenby said. “Vijay Singh used to bring in his friends from the Thai restaurant in Atlanta which makes the best Thai food on earth! After his Champions’ Dinner everyone said it was the best food they’ve ever had.”

We’ll take a look at some of the past Masters Champions’ dinners, but which was the worst? Nick Faldo didn’t hold back when asked that question. “What was the worst one? Oh, it was Bubba, wasn’t it? When we had Chuck E. Cheese. When we had a little hamburgers, and a little corn and little ice cream. I think we had a milkshake as well,” he said.

Former Masters Champions’ dinner menus

• 1986 Bernhard Langer chose a typical German dish: Wiener schnitzel and Black Forest cake.
• 1989 Sandy Lyle told the kitchen staff to prepare a specialty from his native Scotland: Haggis, which is a tasty dish made from sheep organs.
• 1998 Tiger Woods chose cheeseburgers, fries and milkshakes. He was the youngest winner of the Masters and chose an appropriate menu.
• 2001 Vijay Singh, from the Fiji Islands, asked the staff to prepare a Thai-themed menu with seafood and lamb.
• 2004 Mike Weir of Canada represented his country with a menu including big game: Elk and wild boar and a selection of Canadian beer.
• 2009 Trevor Immelman went with a typical South African dish called bobotie which is a minced pie with egg topping.
• 2010 Angel Cabrera served Argentinian meat cuts such as blood sausages, beef filets and ribs.
• 2011 Phil Mickelson, in honor of Spanish golfing legend Seve Ballesteros, served paella, tortilla and Spanish apple pie.

2026 Masters Champion Rory McIlroy’s dinner selection

• Peach and ricotta flatbread
• Rock shrimp tempura
• Bacon-wrapped dates
• Grilled elk sliders
• Yellowfin tuna carpaccio
• Wagyu filet mignon or seared salmon
• Sticky toffee pudding

Rory’s wine list is going to set him back a pretty penny too. There are some incredible wines that he’ll be sharing with the former champions. And, yes, the player flips the bill for the dinner, as Mike Weir explains below.

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