Masters Preview - A dinner fit for champions!

Post by Sports Writer, Derek Clements

The Masters does many things its own way, not least with its annual Champions Dinner. The menu is set (but noT prepared!) by the previous year's winner and is attended by every surviving Masters champion who fancies going along, whether they are playing in the tournament or not. It has been an annual tradition since 1952 when it was suggested and hosted by Ben Hogan.

The idea is simple: past winners are members of an exclusive club, so they get together each year on the Tuesday night of tournament week to welcome the previous year's winner to the club. The previous year's winner gets to select the menu - and although he doesn't have to cook it, he does have to pay for the ingredients.

Over the years, there have been some pretty odd choices. You can only imagine what the assembled gathering thought in 1989 when Sandy Lyle announced they were having haggis, neeps and tatties. Or when Tiger Woods announced in 1998 that his dinner menu would comprise  cheeseburgers, chicken sandwiches, french fries and milkshakes. In his defence, he was only 22 years old at the time.

It should be made clear that the former champions don't have to eat what the defending champ chooses. They can order from Augusta's regular menu, which includes steaks chicken and fish dishes.

Here are a few recent champions' menus:

Adam Scott, 2014: Surf-and-turf on the grill, including Moreton Bay 'bugs' (lobster). Started with an appetizer of artichoke and arugula salad with calamari. Main course of Australian Wagyu beef New York Strip steak, served with Moreton Bay lobster, sauteed spinach, onion cream mashed potatoes. Desserts of strawberry and passion fruit pavlova, Anzac biscuit and vanilla sundae. Blimey! After that lot it is amazing anybody made it to the first tee.

Bubba Watson, 2013: Traditional caesar salad to start. Entree of grilled chicken breast with sides of green beans, mashed potatoes, corn, macaroni and cheese, served with cornbread. Dessert of confetti cake and vanilla ice cream. Caesar salad? Come on Bubba, you can't be serious.

Charl Schwartzel, 2012: An opening course consisting of a chilled seafood bar, which included shrimp, lobster, crabmeat, crab legs and oysters. The main course was a "braai," a South African barbecue, which included lamb chops, steaks and South African sausages. Dessert of vanilla ice cream sundae. Charl's not a vegetarian then!

Phil Mickelson, 2011: A Spanish-themed menu with seafood paella and machango-topped filet mignon as the entrees. Also included a salad course, asparagus and tortillas as sides, plus ice cream-topped apple empanada for dessert. Lefty thought he was Seve.

Angel Cabrera, 2010: An Argentine asado, a multicourse barbecue featuring chorizo, blood sausage, short ribs, beef filets and mollejas (sweetbreads). Bring it on, cowboy.

Trevor Immelman, 2009: Bobotie (a spiced minced meat pie with an egg topping), sosaties (type of chicken skewer), spinach salad, milk tart and South African wines. Is it any wonder he has struggled since winning The Masters?

Zach Johnson, 2008: Iowa beef, Florida shrimp.

Mickelson, 2007: Barbecued ribs, chicken, sausage and pulled pork, with coleslaw. That's more like it Phil.

Tiger Woods, 2006: Stuffed jalapeno and quesadilla appetizers with salsa and guacamole; green salad; steak fajitas, chicken fajitas, Mexican rice, refried beans; apple pie and ice cream for dessert. Hot suff from Tiger

Mickelson, 2005: Lobster ravioli in tomato cream sauce, caesar's salad, garlic bread. There's that caesar's salad again!

Mike Weir, 2004: Elk, wild boar, Arctic char (that's a fish), Canadian beer. Nice and simple from the left-hander.

Woods, 2003: Tiger brought back the porterhouse steak, chicken and sushi from his 2002 menu. Also on the menu were sashimi, salads, crab cakes, asparagus, mashed potatoes and a chocolate truffle cake. Steak and sushi? Really?

Woods, 2002: Porterhouse steak and chicken with a sushi appetizer. Erm, steak and sushi? Two years on the trot?

Vijay Singh, 2001: Seafood tom kah, chicken panang curry, baked sea scallops with garlic sauce, rack of lamb with yellow kari sauce, baked filet Chilean sea bass with three flavour chili sauce, lychee sorbet. You can't accuse Vijay of providing a lack of choice.

Mark O'Meara, 1999: Chicken fajitas, steak fajitas, sushi, tuna sashimi. There's that sushi again.

Woods, 1998: Cheeseburgers, chicken sandwiches, french fries, milkshakes. You're the man, Tiger!!!

Nick Faldo, 1997: Fish and chips, tomato soup. What a plonker!

Ben Crenshaw, 1996: Texas barbecue. Throw another cow on the barbie!

Jose Maria Olazabal,1995: Paella and hake (whitefish), plus tapas

Bernhard Langer, 1994: Turkey and dressing, black forest torte. Very German.

Fred Couples, 1993: Chicken cacciatore. Trust Fred to keep it simple.

Sandy Lyle, 1989: Haggis, mashed potatoes, mashed turnips. The healthy option!

Langer, 1986: Wiener schnitzel (breaded veal).