Former Masters winners ensured Seve Ballesteros was in their thoughts during the recent Champions Dinner.
As per tradition, the current champion gets to design the menu that marks the start of the first golf major of the year with 2023 Green Jacket winner Rahm picking and paying for this year’s meal.
Rahm became the fourth Spaniard to win at Augusta following in the footsteps of Sergio Garcia, Jose Maria Olazabal and the late Ballesteros, with Sir Nick Faldo telling talkSPORT the get together became something of a tribute to the two-time Masters champion Seve, who died in 2011 at the age of 54.
He told Ally McCoist on talkSPORT Breakfast: “It ended up more as an hour to Seve [Ballesteros] because it was Seve’s birthday [on 9 April] and he would have been 67.
“And obviously we’ve got four Spanish champions, people were telling stories more about Seve, so yeah it was a nice Tuesday night to start the week.”
With Rahm in charge of the menu and after dedicating his 2023 victory to Ballesteros, naturally, the conversation became dominated by the Spanish legend.
The former world No. 1 became one of golf’s leading figures for close to two decades from the 1970s to the 1990s, winning an incredible 50 European Tour events and nine PGA Tour events.
He was a five-time major champion, having won the Masters twice in 1980 and 1983, as well as The Open in 1979, 1984 and 1988.
Ballesteros helped Europe back on the map in the Ryder Cup, leading them to victory five times as a player and captain before he tragically passed away in May 2011 after being diagnosed with a brain tumour in October 2008.
As a fellow Spaniard, Rahm’s dinner was full of flavour from the Iberian Peninsula with a unique touch in that the 29-year-old also added his grandmother’s recipe.
Faldo, who won three Masters tournaments in 1989, 1990 and 1996, was present at the Champions Dinner, reserved only for those who have won the Green Jacket.
And he told talkSPORT his dinner choices were big hits as brought fish and chips to America, though he didn’t think much of Bubba Watson’s fast food option.
As well as Faldo, other golfing legends to attend include Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player while newer winners such as Scottie Scheffler, Dustin Johnson and Hideki Matsuyama also joined in.
“The Champions dinner is very special, it is just us, just the champions and the chairman,” the former Ryder Cup captain added.
“Jon [Rahm] did a great job with his. We had our ham, we had our spanish omelette to start.
“Then we had a lovely bit of steak, yeah the food was great, and a couple of nice bottles of rioja.”
Jon Rahm’s Champions Dinner menu
- Tapas y Pintos (Starters and small snacks): Ibericos (Acord-fed Iberian ham cured pork loin), Idiazabal con Trufa Negra (Idiazabal cheese, black truffle), Tortilla de Patatas (Spanish omelette, onions with confit potatoes), Chistorra con Patata (Spicy Basque chorizo and potato), Lentejas Estofadas (Mama Rahm’s classic lentil stew), Croqueta de Pollo (Creamy chicken fritters with confit potatoes).
- First course: Ensalada de Txangurro (Basque crab salad and potato)
- Main course: Chuleton a la Parrilla (Basque ribeye steak with Tudela lettuce and Piquillo peppers) or Rodaballo al Pil-Pil (Basque fish dish with turbot and Navarra white asparagus)
- Dessert: Milhojas de Crema y Nata (puff pastry cake with custard and chantilly cream)
News Summary:
- Jon Rahm’s champions dinner at The Masters was a nice nod to golf legend Seve Ballesteros
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