Rory McIlroy will defend his title this week in Augusta at the Masters Tournament. Before the tournament, McIlroy will take part in the Masters Champions dinner.
Augusta National Golf Club hosts the dinner every year. The defending Masters Champion decides the menu.
McIlroy’s Menu: A Taste of Home and New York
McIlroy is drawing on inspiration from at home and abroad for tomorrow night’s dinner. Last year, defending Masters winner Scottie Scheffler brought some Texas flair to the menu.
The 2026 Masters Champions Dinner menu includes:
- Peach and ricotta flatbread with balsamic, hot honey, and basil
- Rock shrimp tempura with creamy spicy sauce
- Bacon-wrapped dates with goat cheese and almonds
- Grilled elk sliders with caramelised onion jam and roasted garlic aioli
- Yellowfin tuna carpaccio with foie gras, toasted baguette, and chives
Main Course and Dessert Choices
The main course offers a choice of wagyu filet minon or seared salmon. Sides include traditional Irish champ, sauteed brussels sprouts, glazed carrots with brown butter, and crispy vidalia onion rings.
For dessert, the menu features sticky toffee pudding with vanilla ice cream and warm toffee sauce.
Personal Touches and Culinary Inspirations
McIlroy drew some inspiration from home for his menu. The bacon-wrapped dates pay homage to the ones his mother makes.
The elk sliders are a more recent idea. McIlroy was eating plenty of elk leading up to the 2025 Masters.
“I got this big shipment of elk, and I was eating a lot of that, and I didn’t want elk to be the main course, because I didn’t know if everyone would like that,” McIlroy said, “so I incorporated it into the appetizers.”
The Northern Irish golfer also gives a nod to the New York restaurant Le Barnardin. It is a favorite for McIlroy and his wife, with the yellowfin tuna carpaccio in the first course.
The champ potatoes are part of the main course. It is a dish McIlroy used to eat a lot of as a kid.
The 90th Masters Tournament tees off on Thursday, April 9, and will conclude Sunday, April 12.