Rory McIlroy, the Northern Irish professional golfer seeking a career Grand Slam, has outlined the menu he would curate for the Masters Champions Dinner if he wins the tournament.[1][2]
The Champions Dinner, hosted annually since 1952 by the defending Masters champion exclusively for past winners, takes place on the Tuesday evening before the tournament at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia.[3]
McIlroy's proposed appetizers include rock shrimp tempura, peach and ricotta flatbread, bacon-wrapped dates stuffed with goat cheese, and grilled elk sliders with caramelized onion jam and roasted garlic aioli.[1]
The first course would feature yellowfin tuna carpaccio, inspired by a dish from Le Bernardin, a New York City restaurant favored by McIlroy and his wife. McIlroy told the Irish Independent the bacon-wrapped dates reflect a recipe made by his mother.[1][4]
He explained the inclusion of elk sliders as a way to incorporate the meat without making it the main course, noting a recent large shipment of elk.[1]
Main course options would be wagyu filet mignon or seared salmon, accompanied by Irish champ potatoes, Brussels sprouts and crispy Vidalia onion rings. McIlroy described Irish champ as a childhood favorite consumed "by the bowlful."[1]
Dessert would consist of sticky toffee pudding with vanilla ice cream and warm toffee sauce.[1]
Wine selections from Augusta National's cellar would include a 2022 Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Combettes, with bottles exceeding $2,000, and a 1990 Château Lafite Rothschild, averaging at least $1,200 per bottle.[1]
McIlroy, 35, from Holywood, County Down, has won four major championships: the 2011 U.S. Open, 2012 and 2014 PGA Championships, and 2014 Open Championship. He has 26 PGA Tour victories.[2]
Sources
- Golf Digest, "Rory McIlroy reveals Champions Dinner menu he’d serve if he finally wins green jacket", March 25, 2024, https://www.golfdigest.com/story/rory-mcilroy-reveals-his-masters-champions-dinner-menu
- Wikipedia, "Rory McIlroy", accessed October 2024, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rory_McIlroy
- Masters.com, "Champions Dinner", accessed October 2024, https://www.masters.com/en_US/tournament/traditions/champions_dinner.html
- Irish Independent, "Rory McIlroy reveals Masters champions dinner menu", April 10, 2024, https://www.independent.ie/sport/golf/rory-mcilroy-reveals-his-masters-champions-dinner-menu-my-mam-makes-the-best-dates/44567892.html
