WOLOSHYN: Dining with the Masters
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One of the great traditions in international sports takes place next week and it won’t be in an arena, stadium or ballpark.
It will occur in the upstairs dining room at the Augusta National Golf Course; home of the Masters Tournament. One of only four “Majors,” the Masters is the only one played at the same location each year, and each year on Tuesday evening an exclusive dinner is held to honour former Masters Champions.
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These men are members of the Masters Club founded in 1952 by defending champion Ben Hogan to “reminisce, swap banter and relax.” Only those club members and several honourary members are invited, all wearing their champions green jackets. Golfer Nick Faldo described the evening filled with the legends of the game saying “you’re in absolute awe of it.”
But one of the most interesting aspects of the dinner is the menu. Chosen by the defending champion it often reflects their country, state, ancestry or even in the case of Tiger Woods, their age.
Woods won his first of four green jackets in 1997. He was just 21 and the youngest player to win when he shot a record 18 under. He has won four to date.
At his first dinner he chose a menu comprised of cheeseburgers, fries and milkshakes. “It’s what I eat,” he said. He graduated to porterhouse steak along with sushi and then on to Mexican fare. Prior to the dinner, golfer Fuzzy Zoeller suggested to members of the media they should, “tell him (Tiger) not to serve fried chicken or collared greens, or whatever they serve.”
Fuzzy, of course, lives on the set of All in the Family. He also has his own brand of vodka. My guess is Tiger doesn’t drink it. Just a guess.
Fred Couples’ grandparents emigrated from Italy, which inspired him to offer chicken cacciatore with spaghetti.
Scotland’s Sandy Lyle wore a kilt – which no doubt matched his green jacket and served haggis. Not sure how many players signed on for that meal. But they can always order from the regular menu.
Vijah Singh ordered a Thai themed dinner with Thom Kha; ( Thai chicken soup), Chilean sea bass with chili and a rack of lamb with hot yellow kari sauce which he asked the chef to make milder than usual so most people could consume it without their heads exploding.
In 2014, Australian Adam Scott concocted a fascinating meal consisting of grilled calamari, and Australian Wagyu New York strip steak with Moreton Bay bugs, which have been described as insect like lobsters. Although the champions pay for the meal, when you’ve picked up a cheque in the upper one million dollar range for winning last year’s Masters, the world is your oyster…or Bay bug.
The only Canadian to date to slip into a coveted green jacket is Mike Weir and if the other champions didn’t know he was Canadian they sure did when they sat down and looked at the menu.
Atlantic lobster in puff pastry, B.C. sockeye salmon, Alberta filet mignon, wild boar and chanterelle mushroom bundles, roasted rack of wapiti elk, plus fried chicken and sautéed pompano.
And to wash all that scrumptious food down, Canadian beer. What a meal. What a night.
— Woloshyn hosts “Saturday with Ted” from 12:00 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Newstalk 1010
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