Scottie Scheffler will return to the iconic Masters Champions dinner as Rory McIlroy hosts his first event since winning the major tournament
Scottie Scheffler knows his way around a Masters Champions dinner(Image: Brian Spurlock/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Scottie Scheffler joked that Bubba Watson would have to be sat at a different table when he hosted the Masters Champions dinner in 2023. This year, Rory McIlroy will be hosting the iconic supper – and the American will no doubt be keen to see where the golfers will place themselves.
During the 2023 dinner, Scheffler was hosting and those who had defected to LIV Golf had been invited to play in the Masters for the first time since the breakaway format was introduced. Jon Rahm admitted the event could become “tense” due to the PGA-LIV split but Scheffler had the perfect response to keeping things relaxed.
At the time, he said: “Yeah. I haven’t seen many of the LIV guys. I saw Bubba 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. [I’m] only kidding, obviously.”
Scheffler’s seating joke highlighted the separation between the golfers on the different tours – but the American felt that the Masters was the time to set this aside and focus on the golf.
READ MORE: Rory McIlroy explains sudden PGA Tour withdrawal with statementREAD MORE: Scottie Scheffler names golfers he definitely won’t sit next to at Masters Champions Dinner
He added: “I think for a few weeks a year we can put all that aside, especially with Augusta National being such a special place and with the history of the game and whatnot.
“I think we can put all our stuff aside and just get together for a fun meal, all in a room together and just kind of celebrate the game of golf and Augusta National and just hang out.”
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In 2026, McIlroy will be the main host of the Champions dinner after completing his career grand slam at Augusta National last year. The Northern Irishman will likely look to Scheffler for advice on his first time being the main man at the event given he has now hosted on two occasions.
Discussing the seating arrangements, the two-time Masters winner said: “There’s a little protocol. Guys have, like, I would say, sections where they sit. But you move around a little bit.
“There are no necessarily assigned seats, but I’m definitely not going to sit in the area where Tiger and Jack sit. Like, there are kinds of spots where you feel you’ll naturally flow into.”
Rory McIlroy will look to his American rival for advice(Image: Warren Little/Getty Images)
Reflecting on his first time hosting in 2023, Scheffler added: “Yeah, I think definitely the first time around when you’re hosting the dinner, it’s your first time in that room, you don’t really know what to expect. I had no idea what it was going to be like. The only thing I really knew was where I was going to sit.
“That was basically the only thing I knew, sitting next to Mr Crenshaw and the chairman. So, yeah, I was definitely nervous. I’m not really a super social guy to begin with.
“It’s really cool to be in that room. You would always dream of being there.
“It’s always fun for me to get to see some of the champions that I don’t get to see regularly, so it’s always really fun just catching up with those guys, seeing what they’re like, kind of seeing what makes them tick, little stuff like that is always really fun.”
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