Rory McIlroy Sets Record for Most Expensive Masters Champions Dinner at Augusta National

Northern Irish golfer Rory McIlroy hosted the 2026 Masters Champions Dinner at Augusta National Golf Club on Tuesday, ahead of defending his 2025 US Masters title. The exclusive event, a tradition since 1952, brings together past Masters champions and the club chairman for a private dinner where the previous year’s winner selects the menu and wines—and covers the bill.

This year’s dinner set a new record for cost. According to Sportsbook Review, the food alone reached $318 per person, or £236, making it the most expensive in Masters history. This figure is 194% higher than Scottie Scheffler’s $108 menu in 2025 and 44% above Hideki Matsuyama’s previous record in 2022. With 34 guests attending, McIlroy paid $10,812 for the meal.

The wine selection, however, far surpassed the food in value. McIlroy, who has developed a passion for wine collecting over the past decade, worked closely with Augusta National’s sommeliers to curate a lineup he described as “intentional.” He told reporters that choosing the wines was his favorite part of planning the dinner.

For appetizers including peach and ricotta flatbread, shrimp tempura, bacon-wrapped dates and grilled elk sliders, McIlroy chose Salon 2015 Champagne from Le Mesnil-sur-Oger Grand Cru. This rare Blanc de Blancs is produced only in exceptional years; the 2015 vintage is just the 45th release in Salon’s 120-year history.

The first course paired yellowfin tuna carpaccio with foie gras alongside Domaine Leflaive Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru 2022. McIlroy noted this was the first white wine he ever enjoyed and wanted to share it with his fellow champions.

For the main course—wagyu filet mignon or seared salmon with Irish champ and vegetables—McIlroy selected Château Lafite Rothschild 1990. He explained that this was the wine he drank after winning the Masters last year, making it a sentimental choice. Irish golfer Shane Lowry helped him secure bottles of this Bordeaux first growth.

Dessert featured sticky toffee pudding accompanied by Château d’Yquem 1989, a Sauternes from McIlroy’s birth year. He described it as “liquid gold” and said every great meal should end with Yquem.

Replicating McIlroy’s wine choices would be costly for any dinner host. According to Wine-searcher, UK retail prices per bottle are: £915 for Salon 2015 Champagne, £2,065 for Domaine Leflaive Bâtard-Montrachet 2022, £699 for Château Lafite Rothschild 1990 and £425 for Château d’Yquem 1989. The total for one bottle of each is £4,104 ($5,509).

Given that each guest likely received a generous 250ml pour of each wine—requiring about 12 bottles per label for all attendees—the total cost to serve these wines at home would reach £49,248 ($66,114). Each guest’s share of just the wine would be £1,368 ($1,836).

McIlroy’s success on the course has made such extravagance possible; his Masters victory last year earned him $4.2 million. The official Champions Dinner photo shows McIlroy seated at the center of Augusta National’s clubhouse dining room alongside club chairman Fred Ridley and two-time winner Ben Crenshaw.

Of the 35 living Masters champions, 33 attended this year’s dinner. Notable absentees included Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson. The gathering included legends such as Jack Nicklaus (six-time winner), Gary Player (three-time winner), Scottie Scheffler (two-time winner), Nick Faldo (three-time winner), Tom Watson (two-time winner), Bernhard Langer (two-time winner), Jose Maria Olazabal (two-time winner) and Bubba Watson (two-time winner).

McIlroy joined an elite group last year by winning his first Masters title on his 17th attempt and completing golf’s career Grand Slam—a feat achieved by only five other players before him. The Champions Dinner remains one of Augusta National’s most exclusive traditions, blending sporting achievement with fine dining and rare wines in a setting reserved for golf’s greatest names.