Scheffler’s rival replied to ‘sit in the corner’ quip for Masters dinner | Golf | Sport
Scottie Scheffler tried to build bridges before hosting the Masters dinner (Image: Getty)
Bubba Watson delivered a humorous response to Scottie Scheffler’s “sit at another table” quip ahead of the Masters Champions Dinner. Before the opening major of the season, former Green Jacket winners gather together, with the previous year’s champion selecting the menu.
The 2023 dinner threatened to be a fraught occasion, coming just months after the bitter divide at the top of the men’s game, which saw numerous leading players break away from the PGA Tour to join the Saudi-backed LIV Golf. Notable former Masters champions to defect included Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Charl Schwartzel, Sergio Garcia, Patrick Reed and Bubba Watson. Despite the intense feelings surrounding LIV Golf’s launch, those players were welcomed back to Augusta for the Champions Dinner, with defending champion Scheffler jokingly suggesting they would not be sitting beside him.
Ahead of the 2023 tournament, Scheffler said: “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.”
Rather than taking offence, Watson, the champion in 2012 and 2014, was simply delighted to still be included in the prestigious gathering. He said: “Hey, as long as I’m in the Champions Dinner, I’m fine.
“I’ll sit wherever he tells me. It’s fine. As long as I’m allowed back, I’ll sit wherever he wants me to. I’ll sit outside and just stare in the window.”
Scheffler and Bubba Watson are good pals (Image: Getty)
On a more serious note, Scheffler insisted the Masters Dinner presented a chance to set the PGA Tour/LIV dispute to one side. He said: “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.”
Having finally claimed the Masters Green Jacket in dramatic fashion last year, Rory McIlroy is now preparing to host the 2026 Champions Dinner.
33 previous Masters winners had dinner when the event was first hosted by Scheffler (Image: @TheMasters/Twitter)
McIlroy’s menu, priced at approximately £240 per plate, features starters such as grilled elk sliders, bacon-wrapped dates inspired by his mother, rock shrimp tempura and a Georgia peach-and-ricotta flatbread.
A yellowfin tuna carpaccio, drawing inspiration from New York’s Le Bernardin, will also feature amongst the starters. Diners may then select between Wagyu filet mignon and seared salmon for their main course.
Traditional Irish champ, Brussels sprouts, glazed carrots and crispy Vidalia onion rings complete the side dishes, with sticky toffee pudding rounding off the meal as dessert, accompanied by a 1990 Château Lafite Rothschild and a 1989 Château d’Yquem.
