{"id":519612,"date":"2026-04-08T13:46:17","date_gmt":"2026-04-08T13:46:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/519612\/"},"modified":"2026-04-08T13:46:17","modified_gmt":"2026-04-08T13:46:17","slug":"rory-mcilroy-makes-masters-history-before-even-hitting-a-shot","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/519612\/","title":{"rendered":"Rory McIlroy makes Masters history before even hitting a shot"},"content":{"rendered":"

Rory McIlroy hosted the annual Masters Champions Dinner at Augusta National on Tuesday evening, though the gathering was marked by the conspicuous absence of two legendary former winners.<\/p>\n

Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson were both missing from the prestigious event, which brought together green jacket holders from Jack Nicklaus to Scottie Scheffler.<\/p>\n

The 2025 champion’s dinner set a new record as the most expensive in the tournament’s history, costing $318 per head according to The Sun.<\/p>\n

That figure represents more than triple what Scheffler spent on his menu the previous year.<\/p>\n

McIlroy, the 36-year-old Northern Irishman, pledged to honour both absent champions during the evening’s proceedings.<\/p>\n

“Unfortunately, there will be a couple of guys that won’t be in that room, which is a shame,” he told the Golf Channel. “But I want to make sure that they’re acknowledged as well.”<\/p>\n

Woods’ absence has cast a shadow over this week’s tournament following his arrest for driving under the influence<\/a> in Florida. <\/p>\n

\"Rory<\/p>\n

Rory McIlroy hosted the annual Masters Champions Dinner at Augusta National on Tuesday evening, though the gathering was marked by the conspicuous absence of two legendary former winners<\/p>\n

| <\/p>\n

GETTY<\/p>\n

The 50-year-old, who has claimed five Masters titles, is currently receiving treatment abroad after police reportedly discovered two opioid painkillers on his person following a rollover crash.<\/p>\n

The incident occurred shortly after Woods participated in the TGL virtual golf league’s final day, marking his first competitive appearance since July 2024.<\/p>\n

According to authorities, the 15-time major champion displayed “several signs of impairment,” with officers noting his eyes appeared “bloodshot and glassy” with “extremely dilated pupils.”<\/p>\n

\"Rory<\/p>\n

Rory McIlroy’s Masters dinner menu<\/p>\n

| <\/p>\n

X<\/p>\n

\"Tiger<\/p>\n

Tiger Woods was absent from the Masters dinner following his recent arrest<\/p>\n

| GETTY<\/p>\n

Mickelson’s reason for missing the dinner remains less clear, with the three-time Masters winner staying away due to illness within his family. Between them, Woods and Mickelson have won eight green jackets.<\/p>\n

McIlroy curated an eclectic spread for his fellow champions, blending contemporary touches with traditional fare.<\/p>\n

Starters featured grilled elk sliders and peach and ricotta flatbread alongside yellowfin tuna carpaccio, while the main course offered guests a choice between wagyu filet mignon and seared salmon.<\/p>\n

\"Phil<\/p>\n

Phil Mickelson was also out of Rory McIlroy’s Masters dinner<\/p>\n

| GETTY<\/p>\n

The Northern Irishman included one nod to his homeland with traditional Irish champ, a classic mashed potato dish. However, he deliberately limited the Celtic influence on the menu.<\/p>\n

“People keep asking me, ‘Why didn’t you go more Irish?'” the golfer explained at Tuesday’s press conference. “And I said, ‘Because I want to enjoy the dinner as well.'”<\/p>\n

Guests finished with toffee pudding and ice cream, accompanied by a 1989 Chateau d’Yquem from Bordeaux priced at $650 per bottle.<\/p>\n

\"Rory<\/p>\n

Rory McIlroy will be the centre of attention when the Masters commences later this month<\/p>\n

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GETTY<\/p>\n

While McIlroy chose not to criticise Woods publicly, fellow professional Jason Day offered a more pointed assessment when addressing reporters on Monday.<\/p>\n

“He’s just a human being like everyone else and we have struggles,” Day said. “It’s unfortunate. The only thing that I don’t understand is that it’s a little bit selfish of him to drive and put other people in harm’s way, as well.”<\/p>\n

The 2015 PGA Championship winner suggested Woods’ legendary determination may have contributed to his decision to get behind the wheel. <\/p>\n

“But when you’re the player that he was and how strong-willed he is, he thinks he can do almost anything,” he said.<\/p>\n

Despite his criticism, Day emphasised his deep respect for the fallen champion: “He was my hero – he’s my hero. The reason why I play golf is because of this tournament and Tiger.”<\/p>\n

In bodycam footage from the arrest, Woods told officers he was “hoping to” compete at Augusta, adding that it “depends on y’all.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Rory McIlroy hosted the annual Masters Champions Dinner at Augusta National on Tuesday evening, though the gathering was…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":519613,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[39],"tags":[5904,50,2623,2331,217,101,56,54,55,741,1384,154037],"class_list":{"0":"post-519612","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-golf","8":"tag-golf","9":"tag-news","10":"tag-rory-mcilroy","11":"tag-sgg","12":"tag-sport","13":"tag-sports","14":"tag-uk","15":"tag-united-kingdom","16":"tag-unitedkingdom","17":"tag-us","18":"tag-us-news","19":"tag-us-sport"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/519612","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=519612"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/519612\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/519613"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=519612"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=519612"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=519612"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}