Masters winner Scottie Scheffler hopeful golfers will table tensions for Champions Dinner as menu is unveiled
Six LIV golfers will be present at this year’s dinner
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The menu for the Champions Dinner held in honor of the reigning Masters Tournament winner Scottie Scheffler has been released, and for Scheffler, he expects no hiccups when the PGA Tour members take their seats across their former competitors now playing in the LIV Golf circuit.
The menu for the traditional dinner was released Wednesday and will start with cheeseburger sliders served "Scottie Style" and firecracker shrimp.
Scottie Scheffler plays his shot from the 12th tee during the final round of the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club on April 10, 2022 in Augusta, Georgia. (David Cannon/Getty Images)
Guests will then dip into tortilla soup followed by an option of Texas rib-eye steak or blackened redfish, and dessert will be a warm chocolate chip cookie served with ice cream.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"I haven’t totally decided what I will say," Scheffler said during a media call Wednesday, via Golf Week. "I’m aware I have to say a few words, but, for the most part, it’s kind of a group thing. I’m not quite sure what the vibe will be like, but I think we are all there to play in the tournament and celebrate the Masters and celebrate all being past champions."
The Champions Dinner is a tradition that began in 1952, when nine-time Major winner Ben Hogan, who won at Augusta National in 1951 and 1953, decided to invite all past winners for a dinner before the tournament.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}From left to right, Claude Harmon, Gene Sarazen, Clifford Roberts, Cary Middlecoff, Sam Snead, Doug Ford, Byron Nelson, Jimmy Demaret, Bobby Jones, Jack Burke, Jr., Craig Wood, Ben Hogan, Horton Smith, Herman Keiser and Henry Picard attend the Masters Dinner during the 1958 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club held April 3-6, 1958 in Augusta, Georgia. (Augusta National/Getty Images)
Since then, all past winners of the iconic Green Jacket have been invited to Augusta National the Tuesday before the first round for a menu selected by the previous year’s champion.
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This means that past winners, like Phil Mickelson, Bubba Watson and Dustin Johnson who have all switched over the Saudi-backed rival circuit, will be in attendance.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"I think the dinner will be really special for all us to be able to gather again, and I am sure we will put all that other stuff aside and have a good time together," Scheffler said Wednesday.
"Just because guys joined another tour doesn’t mean I’m not friends with them anymore and think differently of them as people. They are still my friends, and we are all just gonna hang out and have a good time."
Hideki Matsuyama, of Japan, helps Scottie Scheffler put on the green jacket after winning the 86th Masters golf tournament on Sunday, April 10, 2022, in Augusta, Georgia. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Patrick Reed, Sergio Garcia and Charl Schawartzel, all past winners at Augusta, will also have a seat at the table.
The sentiment around the dinner seems that players from both sides acknowledge the awkwardness of the situation, but will be there to honor Scheffler.
Watson joked in January that he will sit wherever he is asked to sit, even if he has to "sit outside and just stare in the window." Tiger Woods said last month that he was unsure about the "reaction" from those in attendance but added that it would be important "that Scottie gets honored correctly."