2015 Masters winner Jordan Spieth opened up about the exclusive Masters champions dinner
Jordan Spieth confirmed that there’s an unwritten seating arrangement at the Masters Champions Dinner(Image: Julio Aguilar, Getty Images)
Jordan Spieth has lifted the lid on the unwritten rule that golf’s biggest stars must observe during the annual Masters champions dinner, saying he will not sit next to golf legends Jack Nicklaus or Tiger Woods. This year, Rory McIlroy will host fellow winners of the Green Jacket during the exclusive annual gathering, held two days before the major at Augusta National Golf Club.
The Northern Irishman left no stone unturned when crafting his menu, which was partly inspired by his mum, Rosie, and his wife, Erica. Spieth has an invitation to the time-honoured event thanks to his Masters victory in 2015, during which he narrowly defeated Phil Mickelson and Justin Rose by four strokes.
More than a decade later, the 32-year-old admits he’s completely comfortable at the champions dinner now that he understands how the seating arrangement operates.
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He said: “It’s kind of like 6th, 7th grade. If the teacher has assigned seats you get all bummed and if they let you sit wherever you want you end up sitting in the same spot anyways. It’s kind of the same deal. Sit with Scottie [Scheffler], but then when Scottie wins, you know, he’s done that twice in the last three or four or so.”
Spieth added: “There’s a certain section on the far side from where we sit where you don’t sit, because it’s Jack [Nicklaus] and Tiger [Woods]. And that’s where Arnie [Arnold Palmer] was.”
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Scheffler confirmed that the designated seats for Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods were untouchable, saying: “There’s a little protocol. Guys kind of have like, I would say, sections where they sit. But you move around a little bit.
“There’s not necessarily assigned seats but I’m definitely not going to go sit in the area where Tiger and Jack sit. Like, there’s kind of spots where you kind of feel you’ll naturally flow into.”
While Scheffler and Spieth have several Masters champions dinners under their belts, the pair admitted nerves were high when they were each tasked with crafting the menu.
Scheffler explained: “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’s going to be like. The only thing I really knew was where I was going to sit. That’s basically the only thing I knew, sitting next to Mr. Crenshaw and the chairman [Fred Ridley]. So, yeah, I was definitely nervous. I’m not really a super social guy to begin with.”
Scottie Scheffler said he was nervous hosting his first Masters Champions Dinner(Image: Getty Images)
Spieth expressed a similar sentiment, chiming in with: “You speak in that room. It’s like, what am I going to say to these guys? And I was 22. I don’t even remember what I said. But, yeah, I was [nervous]. Not anymore.”
The opportunity to dine with golf legends is not lost on Scheffler or Spieth, either. “I think it’s really cool to be in that room,” Scheffler said. “I think 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 on a regular basis. So it’s always really fun just kind of 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.”