Rory McIlroy’s Masters Dinner: A Menu Rooted in Nostalgia and Fine Dining

Rory McIlroy has revealed his menu for the annual Masters Champions Dinner, set to take place on Tuesday before the tournament. The menu, a deeply personal selection, draws inspiration from McIlroy’s upbringing, local Georgia cuisine, and his favorite dishes from around the world.

A Taste of Home and Beyond

McIlroy’s menu features a diverse range of flavors, starting with four appetizers: bacon-wrapped dates, grilled elk sliders, rock shrimp tempura, and peach and ricotta flatbread. The bacon-wrapped dates are a nod to his mother, Rosie, who frequently made them during his childhood. The peach and ricotta flatbread celebrates the local flavors of Georgia. He included elk sliders after enjoying the meat frequently leading up to last year’s Masters.

Culinary Inspirations

The first course will be yellowfin tuna carpaccio, replicating a dish from McIlroy’s favorite Recent York City restaurant, Le Bernardin. “It’s a really simple dish, but every time we go to that restaurant, that’s the one thing that I have to have,” McIlroy said. He noted the Augusta National club worked with the restaurant to ensure the dish was prepared accurately.

Main Course and Sides

For the main course, guests can choose between wagyu filet mignon or seared salmon. Traditional Irish Champ – a mashed potato dish with scallions and butter – will be among the side dishes, alongside brussel sprouts, glazed carrots, and vidalia onion rings. McIlroy shared that he enjoyed Champ frequently as a child, “by the bowlful.”

A Sweet Ending and Exceptional Wines

Dessert will be sticky toffee pudding, a crowd-pleaser. McIlroy also curated a wine list, selecting bottles from the Augusta National wine cellar. His choices include a 2015 Salon Brut champagne, a 2022 Domaine Leflaive Batard Montrachet, a 1990 Chateau Lafite Rothschild, and a 1989 Chateau D’Yquem dessert wine. The 1990 Chateau Lafite Rothschild holds special significance, as McIlroy drank it the night he won the Masters, and the 1989 Chateau D’Yquem is from his birth year, described as “like liquid gold.”

A Masters Tradition

The Champions Dinner is a longstanding tradition at the Masters, held annually on Tuesday night for all past champions. The previous year’s winner is responsible for selecting the menu and covering the costs. Last year, Scottie Scheffler’s menu featured Texas-inspired dishes, including “Scottie-Style” cheeseburger sliders and wood-fired cowboy ribeye.