Rory McIlroy wants his Champion’s Dinner to be one of the most memorable in Augusta’s history. The 2025 Masters champion spared no expense in creating the menu, which has a strong Irish influence; however, not everyone is happy with the dishes.
As every year since 1952, when Ben Hogan started the tradition, the defending champion will welcome past champions, treating them to a dinner of his choosing.
In 2025, Scottie Scheffler delighted everyone with a Texas-style gourmet dinner. A year earlier, Jon Rahm gave the menu a Spanish twist, and in 2023, Hideki Matsuyama brought Japan to Augusta.
This year, McIlroy wasn’t about to be outdone, with a menu that included everything from peach and ricotta flatbread as an appetizer to a sticky toffee pudding for dessert. Impressive? Not for everyone.
Dan Orlovsky slams McIlroy’s menu
Just days before the feast that kicks off Masters week, ESPN commentator Dan Orlovsky didn’t hold back his opinions on the dishes, emphasizing his preference for simple food.
“Here’s my problem with people in the food world,” Orlovsky said on a recent episode of SportsCenter. “Just make a good cheese pizza flatbread. It doesn’t have to be peaches and ricotta.”
The analyst made it clear that it wasn’t anything personal against McIlroy, saying:
I’ve got a lot of love for Rory. I’m a huge Rory fan. I love Rory. But peach and ricotta? Just give me a good cheese pizza.
The good news for Orlovsky is that only past champions and the club president, Fred Ridley, are invited to the banquet.
The moment McIlroy waited 17 years for
One of the biggest dreams of every professional golfer is to win the Masters, and McIlroy is no exception. For 17 years, the Northern Irishman fought to don the green jacket, until he finally achieved it last year.
Despite the time that had passed, McIlroy always knew that one day he would win the coveted trophy. He even had the menu ready for the Champions Dinner, officially called the Masters Club Dinner.
“I think it would be pretty presumptuous to have a menu in your head before you actually win the tournament,” McIlroy admitted
But I always thought about if I win the Masters one day, what would I want to look like? What would I like to serve?
Well, now we know, and it looks delicious, whether Dan Orlovsky likes it or not.
Read the full article here
