Rory McIlroy may still have three more shots at adding another major to his resume this season, but his mind is already racing ahead to next year's Masters Champions Dinner. For only the fourth time in golf history, a Masters winner will have the honor of selecting the menu for the sport's most prestigious meal in consecutive years—and McIlroy is taking the responsibility very seriously.
During a lively chat with Travis and Jason Kelce on the "New Heights" podcast this week, McIlroy reflected on how the 2025 dinner went and dropped some early hints about his plans for next March. After all, you can't afford to let down golf's toughest food critics.
"I think everyone enjoyed the dinner. I tried to do enough dishes that would please everyone," McIlroy shared. "And I'm a big wine guy. I collect wine and I have done that for the last 10 years, so the wine selection was something that was pretty important to me."
But here's where it gets interesting. "I went pretty fancy this year. It's always on the Tuesday night, so I was thinking that I could just do a Taco Tuesday or something. We'll see," he added with a grin.
Tacos would be a bold departure from this year's elegant spread of peach & ricotta flatbread and wagyu filet mignon. But knowing McIlroy and his team, this won't be your average takeout order from a local Augusta spot—expect nothing less than a championship-level culinary experience.
Speaking of the dinner's atmosphere, McIlroy painted a vivid picture of the legendary gathering. "It's a big, long table. Like a U-shape," he recalled. "And at the bottom-left corner, you've got Trevor Immelman and Adam Scott. And they just look like they're having the best time. They are just having the night of their lives. And I said to Adam and Trevor, 'If I don't win this year, just save me a seat down by you guys.' Then Adam texted me after, 'You gotta wait another year to sit with us.'"
McIlroy also couldn't escape the controversy surrounding his pre-Masters comments about Ireland, which ruffled some feathers back home. When Jason Kelce jokingly offered him a chance to redeem himself with an Irish-themed dinner in 2027, McIlroy could only grimace. "I had a few people from the homeland upset with me," he admitted.
Whether it's Taco Tuesday or a more refined affair, one thing is certain: next year's Champions Dinner will be one to watch—and McIlroy is already cooking up something special.