Every year, the reigning Masters champion is tasked with a huge responsibility: hosting the annual Champions Dinner.
The most recent winner of the green jacket traditionally hosts all past Masters champions for a sit-down dinner on the Tuesday night of tournament week, where he selects a menu of his choice and makes a speech. The occasion is already high-stakes, but 2022 Masters champion Scottie Scheffler might be hosting the most hotly anticipated dinner yet.
Just last month, Augusta National announced that eligible LIV golfers will be permitted to play in the Masters, meaning PGA Tour and LIV members will be interacting in unusually close quarters at the meal. Outspoken proponents of the PGA Tour such as Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus will be in the same intimate setting as LIV defectors like Patrick Reed and Dustin Johnson.
In a press conference at the PGA Tour’s first event of the season—the Sentry Tournament of Champions at Kapalua, Hawaii—US Open champion Jon Rahm even admitted that he’s jealous of the dinner invitees.
“I think the Masters Champions Dinner’s going to be a little tense compared to how it’s been in the past.” Rahm said Tuesday. “So I keep thinking about it because I wish I could be there and just be able to see how things work out. Too bad the US Open doesn’t have one of those.”
In response to Rahm’s humorous comments, Scheffler was asked if he’s done any planning to prepare for the potential LIV Golf vs. PGA Tour awkwardness at the dinner.
His response was golden.
“I haven’t seen many of the LIV guys,” said Scheffler. “I saw Bubba (Watson) on vacation this year, and I told him that I was just going to have a separate table for him in the corner by himself (laughing) … only kidding, obviously.”
Scheffler’s unique seating arrangement proposition sent the media center in Kapalua into a fit of laughter, but he also offered some serious comments about what the climate might look like at the 2023 Masters.
“In the world of golf, I think it’s definitely a little sad what’s happening,” Scheffler said Wednesday. “It’s kind of weird this week. I get to my locker, and my locker’s next to Cam Smith’s locker, because he’s a past champ here, and he’s not here. So it’s a little strange, but golf will move on. I think this stuff just takes time. Things will heal and we’ll see what happens.”
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