The Masters Champions Dinner has always been one of golf’s most cherished traditions. A glamorous, private night where green jacket winners gather away from the spotlight. But in recent years, the dinner has carried more weight than usual. Reportedly, last year’s dinner, hosted by Scottie Scheffler, saw tensions rising between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf. Now, Dustin Johnson finally opened up about the dinner.

Dustin Johnson, one of LIV Golf’s most prominent names, joined Dan on Golf podcast and has shed light on how players experienced the evening.

Going down the memory lane, Johnson stated, “It’s definitely a night that you look forward to every single year. It’s a very small club that gets invited to those dinners, and yeah, it’s just, you know, to get together with all the past champions and Mr. Ridley. It’s a very special evening and you know, every single person in there really enjoys it, and it’s, you know, like I said, it’s a real it’s a big honor to be there that evening.”

With LIV Golf figures and PGA Tour stalwarts seated in the same room, the atmosphere naturally felt different. Rather than focusing on divisions, the LIV golfer emphasized how he feels.

It all began after the commencement of LIV Golf in 2022. Since then, there havebeen multiple instances where Pro PGA Tour golfers have looked down upon LIV Tour golfers. 2023 did not see much heavy silence, the narrative changed in 2024 as Jon Rahm joined LIV Golf in December 2023. 

Referring to the situation at the 2024 Dinner, Bubba Watson shared, “The two sides, LIV and the PGA Tour, weren’t talking back then, but there are negotiations going on now. The PGA Tour was against us, but now they’re not. As it should, the night will be all about the champion and the great names in that room. And The Masters will be all about the golf.”

The 2026 Masters Champion’s Dinner for this year will be hosted by Rory McIlroy.

Once, this Master’s Champion’s Dinner used to be a night purely about memories and camaraderie. However, now as it appears, it indeed reflects images of the sport’s fractured landscape. Adding further to the narrative, an Aussie PGA Tour pro shared an awkward moment from the Masters Dinner.

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Adam Scott recalls an awkward moment at the Masters Champions Dinner

Even as the rift between the LIV Golf and the PGA Tour players is widening, there have been a lot of past instances when the Masters Champions Dinner has turned awkward. Back in 2023, the 2013 Masters winner Adam Scott narrated one such incident. Giving the fans a peek behind the curtains of the Founders Room, Scott narrated how Bernhard Langer got shunned by Billy Payne at the dinner. 

“Bernhard Langer getting sat down by [former club chairman] Billy Payne at one dinner was a memorable one for me. Having a suggestion about something. Kind of was a mood killer one night. Good stuff,” said Scott. 

Unfortunately, the Australian professional golfer had a hard time remembering the exact year the incident happened. But he could not forget how awkward it was to have Langer being asked to sit down all of a sudden. Much to the disappointment of the fans, Scott also did not reveal what exactly Langer said that led him to receive such a repercussion. Thus, with the Masters’ dinner having a history of differing tales, fans are now eager to find out how things will pan out in the upcoming days.