[Photo: Fred Vuich]
We all know that money is no object at the Masters. Whether you’re one of the few lucky members or just a humble patron making their once-in-a-lifetime pilgrimage, when you’re on the grounds at Augusta National, cash may as well be water. That’s even true for the pros.
Each year, the reigning Masters champion is expected to foot the bill for their own celebration feast, which we know as the Champions Dinner. Given the prizemoney at the Masters – in 2025, Rory McIlroy took home $US4.2 million for his victory – the cost of the Champions Dinner is merely a drop in the champagne bucket for the green jacket winners. For us mere mortals, however, the figures are eye-watering. Just ask the number-crunchers at Hard Rock Bet, which conducted a study on the cost of recent Masters Champions Dinners. Safe to say, the results are not for the faint of heart or wallet.
Per Hard Rock Bet
Using the cost of upscale private dining experiences as a baseline, Hard Rock Bet then evaluated the market price of premium ingredients (wagyu beef, sushi-grade fish, foie gras, truffles, etc.), the amount of components per dish and the number of dishes per meal to approximate the cost of recent Champions Dinner menus. Hideki Matsuyama’s 2022 feast, though streamlined in terms of the number of dishes per course, took home the Japanese strawberry shortcake – his chosen dessert that year – thanks to an appetiser course featuring premium sushi, sashimi and nigiri and a main course headlined by a traffic-stopping cut of A5 Wagyu ribeye.
McIlroy’s upcoming menu clocked in close behind thanks to difficult-to-source proteins such as elk and a tuna and foie gras carpaccio that Augusta National’s culinary team travelled to New York City to learn from the chefs at three-Michelin-star restaurant, Le Bernadin. Both Matsuyama and McIlroy’s meals are estimated to cost up to $US350 per head, and with upwards of 30 guests typically in attendance, the totals balloon to more than $US11,000. Instant ramen, it ain’t.
On the more “affordable” end of the spectrum are the meals served by 2017 champion Danny Willett and 2016 champion Jordan Spieth, who opted towards homey, comforting dishes instead of premium fine-dining fare.
Included in Hard Rock’s analysis are also calorie counts for each meal, with Patrick Reed’s 2019 meal topping the scales at a whopping 3,400 calories thanks to an emphasis on heavy creams, including a buttermilk vinegarette on the wedge salad, herb butter on the Ribeye steak and sides of macaroni and cheese, creamed spinach and sweet corn brulee. Needless to say, whether you’re counting coins or calories, the Masters Champions Dinner adds up fast.