Champions dinner offers unique fare and flair

Apr. 4—Scottie Scheffler is a Texan, and if there is one thing the members of the Masters Club can count on from a man from the Lone Star state is beef will be served during the annual Tuesday night Champions Dinner.

That is certainly the case this year as the defending champion has chosen to offer a Texas ribeye steak as the main entree.

What exactly is a Texas ribeye? Based on the research found online it is a traditional ribeye steak, but what makes it Texas is the spice rub and accompanying sauce that will give everything a little extra kick.

According to preferredangus.com, the rub consists of crushed peppercorns, chili powder, kosher salt, light brown sugar, granulated garlic and granulated onion. The sauce is ketchup based with Worcestershire sauce, red wine vinegar, dark brown sugar, more chili powder and granulated onion, along with ground black pepper.

For Scheffler, the spread is consistent with other recent winners from the state. When Jordan Spieth won in 2105 he served Texas barbecue including beef brisket, smoked chicken and pork ribs. Two decades earlier, Ben Crenshaw brought a menu that included Angus beef brisket, St. Louis-style pork ribs and Hill Country sausage.

All three dinners would likely have received the approval of the Masters Club founder and the impetuous behind the champions dinner, fellow Texan, Ben Hogan.

It took 10 years for Hogan to win his first Masters, and after he did in 1951, he began the tradition that has grown into the Champions Dinner. He invited the 10 other players who had won the tournament to that point along with Augusta National chairman Clifford Roberts and president Bobby Jones. This year the dinner could have as many as 35 past champions, and since the inception, every club chairman has been invited, including current chairman Fred Ridley.

The idea was for all past winners come together as an exclusive club, relax, tell stories and laugh. The only requirement of the past champions was to wear their green jacket.

In addition to the dinner, Hogan also commissioned a keepsake to be given to each winner welcoming him into the club. The keepsake is a three-piece gold locket in the shape of the Augusta National Golf Club logo, which has the champions name engraved inside.

Following that first dinner, Hogan picked up the check and established the precedent which every champion has followed since.

The Champions Dinner is a purely stag affair. No wives or girlfriends, no family members and no entourage, and it is served in the second floor dining room of the clubhouse.

While the steak may be the centerpiece of Scheffler's dinner, it by far is not the only item on tap. The rest of the menu includes cheeseburger sliders and firecracker shrimp as hors d'oeuvres. The appetizer will include tortilla soup with avocado, crispy blue tortilla strips, sour cream, cilantro and lime.

If steak isn't what one of the champions wants, blackened redfish is the other choice of entree. The sides will be served family-style with choices of mac & cheese, jalapeño creamed corn, fried brussels sprouts and seasoned fries. Desert is a warm chocolate-chip skillet cookie with milk and cookies ice cream.

Since 1985, the champions have been able to tailor the menu toward their preferred tastes. Some champions have used the opportunity to bring a taste of their culture to Augusta National, which has led to a few unique items as the main course.

Bernhard Langer was the first to test the limits when he hosted the Champions Dinner in 1986. The German served Wiener schnitzel, a thin breaded veal cutlet.

Three years later Sandy Lyle offered the truest taste of Scotland in haggis, which is made up of the liver, heart, and lungs of a sheep (or other animal), minced and mixed with beef, oatmeal and seasoned with onion, cayenne pepper, and other spices. The mixture is then packed into a sheep's stomach and boiled. Reports said it wasn't everyone's favorite.

While haggis may have been the most extreme, other winners continued to offer their tweaks. Nick Faldo served fish and chips, Mike Weir brought wild boar, Adam Scott introduced Moreton Bay "Bugs," which is a type of Australian lobster, and last year's host Hideki Matsuyama served a Wagyu beef ribeye, allowing the menu to come full circle.