The traditions at the Masters are sacred. And one of the most iconic is, without a doubt, the dinner of champions. It is held the same week as the tournament, a couple of days before it starts, in the distinctive clubhouse of the Augusta National Golf Club (ANGC). Everyone who owns a green jacket in their closet comes there to listen to the anecdotes of the most veterans and to taste a menu chosen by the last champion. Tiger Woods, for example, opted for chicken sandwiches and strawberry shakes in 1998, after the first of his five wins. This year he has had to choose the Texan Scottie Scheffler who, of course, has included a good ribeye on the menu. But the delicacies were the least important this time.
To the colossal expectation that the Masters always arouses, a certain morbidity is added this year, why fool yourself, since it is the first time that the rebels of the LIV circuit share the field with the rest of the golfers since the definitive break between the Saudis and the traditional model, signed with the signing of Australian Cameron Smith after winning the British Open in Saint Andrews last summer. A few hours before the champions' dinner, the ANGC published the departure times for the first two days, a choice made with care, avoiding any controversy. The LIV competitors will play separately – except for Gooch and Kokrak, paired – and none of them will get more television than they deserve since they are not in the featured groups.
Both those of one side and those of the other – this is a sports and economic war that continues to be settled in the courts – have tried to reduce tension in the days prior to the tournament. "We are all here to compete and to give the best of ourselves", settled, for example, Sergio García. The man from Castellón was precisely one of the LIV players who attended the champions' dinner, an act that does not usually reveal much of significance beyond some anecdote. This time, Golfweek has revealed that the current conflict was not a topic of conversation at any time, but also that, much more significant, a character as eloquent as Phil Mickelson, the visible head of the rebels, sat in a corner and remained in silence all night.
The photo of the dinner speaks for itself, with all the members of the LIV except Dustin Johnson on one side, and the biggest defenders of the traditional model, such as Jordan Spieth or Tiger Woods, on the other.
The public will issue their verdict starting this Thursday, when the professionals take the field to play, but the most normal thing is that the conflict is parked to make way for the emotion of the competition. That will be when Jon Rahm (28) continues to chase his first jacket in a field that is going perfectly for him (four top tens in six participations), but where victory continues to resist him. Rory McIlroy is also denied Augusta, the only great missing to complete the Grand Slam for the Northern Irishman, who arrives in great shape. And his favorite appointment will not be missing Tiger Woods, who has barely competed once since last summer, weighed down by mobility problems derived from the accident he suffered, but who is motivated by the Masters in a very special way.
