AUGUSTA, Ga. — Scottie Scheffler did it again.
Two years after stunning the Champions Dinner with spicy tortilla soup, the rectangular table was hit with another Scheff zinger on Tuesday evening: Texas-style chili.
“It was a five-alarm fire,” laughed Fuzzy Zoeller. “I had to call the fire department to blow it out.”
Thirty-two of 35 chairs for past champs were occupied on the second floor of Augusta National’s clubhouse, as only Tiger Woods, Vijay Singh and Sandy Lyle failed to make the Georgia trek two nights before the start of the 2025 Masters.
It was Tiger’s second missed supper since 2021, and the 26th straight April where the Masters Club was under capacity. Only three times (1965, 1967, 1999) since its 1952 inception have all winners been seated together.
Why wasn’t Tiger Woods at the Champions Dinner?
“We were putting our jackets away and the guys said that Tiger still can’t put weight on his foot,” Charles Coody said of Woods’ achilles injury. “They said his weight tolerance just isn’t there to climb up those stairs.”
Chairman Fred Ridley kicked off the supper by acknowledging the Augusta National staff who restored the course after Hurricane Helene.
Then Ben Crenshaw, who’s moderated the evening since 2005, addressed the table with an exert from Charles Price’s 1986 classic, “A Golf Story.”
Gentle Ben, with all eyes engaged, told how Bobby Jones was defeated in the opening round of the 1929 U.S. Amateur at Pebble Beach.
In the aftermath, Jones accepted an exhibition invite to a new design on 17-Mile Drive named Cypress Point, where he spoke with course architect Alister MacKenzie.
It’s during this meeting-of-minds, Crenshaw explained, where the seed of Augusta National began to fruition.
“It was a quiet dinner — quieter than normal,” said Tommy Aaron. “Crenshaw welcomed Angel Cabrera back to the table, and also paid tribute to Bernhard (Langer) for his last Masters. But neither Angel or Bernhard spoke.”
What was on the Masters Champions Dinner menu?
Following Zoeller chili battle, the main course of blackened redfish or cowboy ribeye was served, while most picked the latter.
Nick Faldo ordered the red meat.
Danny Willett said, “When steak is on the menu, it’s never fish.”
Patrick Reed put it bluntly: “I’m a Texan. It’s always steak.”
Oh, and Fuzzy also ordered the rib-eye.
“It must have been half a cow,” the 1979 champ said. “They just chopped off the front legs and served me the full quarter.”
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Masters Champions Dinner featured 32 of 35 champs but not Tiger Woods
AUGUSTA, Ga. — Scottie Scheffler did it again.
Two years after stunning the Champions Dinner with spicy tortilla soup, the rectangular table was hit with another Scheff zinger on Tuesday evening: Texas-style chili.
“It was a five-alarm fire,” laughed Fuzzy Zoeller. “I had to call the fire department to blow it out.”
Thirty-two of 35 chairs for past champs were occupied on the second floor of Augusta National’s clubhouse, as only Tiger Woods, Vijay Singh and Sandy Lyle failed to make the Georgia trek two nights before the start of the 2025 Masters.
It was Tiger’s second missed supper since 2021, and the 26th straight April where the Masters Club was under capacity. Only three times (1965, 1967, 1999) since its 1952 inception have all winners been seated together.
Why wasn’t Tiger Woods at the Champions Dinner?
“We were putting our jackets away and the guys said that Tiger still can’t put weight on his foot,” Charles Coody said of Woods’ achilles injury. “They said his weight tolerance just isn’t there to climb up those stairs.”
Chairman Fred Ridley kicked off the supper by acknowledging the Augusta National staff who restored the course after Hurricane Helene.
Then Ben Crenshaw, who’s moderated the evening since 2005, addressed the table with an exert from Charles Price’s 1986 classic, “A Golf Story.”
Gentle Ben, with all eyes engaged, told how Bobby Jones was defeated in the opening round of the 1929 U.S. Amateur at Pebble Beach.
In the aftermath, Jones accepted an exhibition invite to a new design on 17-Mile Drive named Cypress Point, where he spoke with course architect Alister MacKenzie.
It’s during this meeting-of-minds, Crenshaw explained, where the seed of Augusta National began to fruition.
“It was a quiet dinner — quieter than normal,” said Tommy Aaron. “Crenshaw welcomed Angel Cabrera back to the table, and also paid tribute to Bernhard (Langer) for his last Masters. But neither Angel or Bernhard spoke.”
What was on the Masters Champions Dinner menu?
Following Zoeller chili battle, the main course of blackened redfish or cowboy ribeye was served, while most picked the latter.
Nick Faldo ordered the red meat.
Danny Willett said, “When steak is on the menu, it’s never fish.”
Patrick Reed put it bluntly: “I’m a Texan. It’s always steak.”
Oh, and Fuzzy also ordered the rib-eye.
“It must have been half a cow,” the 1979 champ said. “They just chopped off the front legs and served me the full quarter.”
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Masters Champions Dinner featured 32 of 35 champs but not Tiger Woods
