Scottie Scheffler has experience of the Masters Champions Dinner, having attended three.
The Masters Champions Dinner can be a daunting experience. There are no place cards. Instead, legends and major winners survey the room, creating a subtle pressure about where to sit.
Adam Scott, the 2013 champion, noted that many players gravitate to the same seats each year. He said he appreciates the sense of having ‘your spot’.
Establishing that ‘spot’ takes time.
Scheffler’s First Dinner: A Learning Experience
Scheffler’s first Champions Dinner was in 2023. He admitted to not knowing what to expect. Scheffler only knew that he would be seated next to Ben Crenshaw and the chairman.
Scheffler arrived early and showed his wife, Meredith, the dinner she helped arrange. The menu included cheeseburger sliders and tortilla soup.
Navigating the Seating Chart
A year later, at the dinner hosted by 2023 winner Jon Rahm, Scheffler felt less certain. He acknowledged the existence of a ‘little protocol’.
Scheffler stated he wouldn’t sit in the area where Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus usually sit. He recognises that there are spots where you ‘naturally flow into’.
While cozying up to his Texas buddy Jordan Spieth might seem logical, Scheffler knew better. He joked that he didn’t ask Jordan to sit by him, because Spieth ‘would have done something to make sure th
Comfort Zones and Cliques at the Masters Dinner
The Champions Dinner sees players forming their own table cliques. Zach Johnson often sits with Jordan Spieth. Bubba Watson, Dustin Johnson, Patrick Reed, Larry Mize and Bernhard Langer also sit in that area.
Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods and Tom Watson typically sit to the left of the head of the table. Fuzzy Zoeller used to favour the far end of the table.
- First year, the defending champion sits at the head of the table.
- Two-time champion Ben Crenshaw and Augusta National chairman Fred Ridley flank the defending champion.
- In his second year, Adam Scott sat next to Trevor Immelman, near Nick Faldo.
There are unwritten rules about where players sit.