Scheffler won’t sit next to golf pair at Masters Champions Dinner | Golf | Sport
Scottie Scheffler says he will not sit alongside Jack Nicklaus or Tiger Woods at the Masters Champions Dinner due to the established protocol governing the annual event’s seating arrangements. The two-time champion explains there are no designated seats; rather, certain players occupy particular areas, with Jordan Spieth and Zach Johnson amongst those who remain together annually.
Scheffler’s first time at the dinner came in 2023, after his triumph 12 months prior, and the American subsequently secured another victory at Augusta National in 2024. It was 2007 champion Johnson whom Scheffler approached for guidance on seating, having learnt not to rely on Spieth to avoid being played for a fool.
Speaking at a press conference during the Arnold Palmer Invitational, a month before this year’s Masters, Scheffler revealed: “Zach and Jordan always sat next to each other, and I definitely didn’t ask Jordan to sit by him, because he would have done something to make sure that I didn’t have a place to sit!
“So I kind of looked at Zach, I was like, ‘Hey, where are you sitting this year?’ And he told me, and he was nice and let me join him. But I definitely wasn’t going to ask Jordan for that because he would have messed with me.”
When questioned about any protocol, Scheffler responded: “There’s a little protocol. Guys have 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.”
Reflecting on his inaugural hosting experience in 2023, Scheffler remembered: “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.
“I got there early, checked everything out, snuck Meredith up there, let her see, because she helped me plan a lot of the food and all that. Obviously, I wanted her to see it, so I snuck her up the back, showed her everything before it got started.”
Scheffler concluded: “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.”
