Oh deer! Rory McIlroy puts elk on the Masters champions dinner menu
Elk as the key to Masters success: who had any i-deer? Rory McIlroy will serve starters made from the meat of the North American animal at Augusta National next month in tribute to his food of choice before winning the Masters last year.The wine McIlroy drank to toast victory, food that conjures memories of his childhood in Belfast and a dish made by his mother, Rosie, also feature in the Masters champion’s dinner for 2026.In a nod to the venue’s attention to detail, McIlroy revealed that chefs from Augusta made a special visit to a New York restaurant to replicate his favourite tuna recipe.McIlroy will begin his Masters defence from 9 April.Two days earlier, he hosts fellow past winners in the annual gathering in the Augusta clubhouse.
The reigning champion picks the menu.When unveiling his choices on Wednesday, McIlroy’s grilled elk sliders – served with caramelised onion jam and roasted garlic aioli – turned heads.“In the buildup to the Masters last year, I was eating a lot of elk,” he said.“I got this big shipment of elk and I was eating a lot of that.I didn’t want elk to be the main course because I didn’t know if everyone would like that.
So I incorporated that into the appetisers.” In the same area of the menu are Rosie McIlroy’s bacon-wrapped dates.Wagyu filet mignon or seared salmon will follow yellowfin tuna carpaccio.“One of our favourite restaurants right now is in New York, called Le Bernardin,” McIlroy said.“Eric Ripert is the chef there and this is a dish from that restaurant.
It’s a really simple dish, but every time we go to, that’s the one thing I have to have,“So that’s a fun one the club worked with me on,They went up to the restaurant and worked with the chefs, and made sure; they obviously wanted to get it right for the night, so that’s really cool,”Champ, a traditional Northern Irish side, is an accompaniment,“When I was a kid I used to eat champ by the bowlful,” McIlroy said.
“So trying to tie in a little bit of my upbringing there.”McIlroy has a love for wine and Augusta’s famous stock.Four are on his menu, including Bordeaux from 1989 – the year of his birth – and 1990.“That is the wine I drank the night I won the Masters, so brings back some great memories,” he said.“I wanted to be really intentional with the wines.
It’s something I’m really into and passionate about and started to collect wine over the past decade,“To work with the sommeliers at the club and be able to choose these wines was a lot of fun,”
Bank of England expected to raise UK interest rates twice this year to fight inflation shock from Middle East crisis – business live
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Essex police pause facial recognition camera use after study finds racial bias
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US startup advertises ‘AI bully’ role to test patience of leading chatbots
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Striking gambit: Erling Haaland invests in new world chess championship
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Prem ‘train’ returns with Saracens looking for instant lift at Bath
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Oh deer! Rory McIlroy puts elk on the Masters champions dinner menu
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Other nations danced for joy at the World Baseball Classic. Team USA played toy soldiers