GOLF: McIlroy eyes Masters defence with healthy body, hungry mind and a good wine list

Rory McIlroy will return to Augusta National next month as the reigning Masters champion, still savoring every moment of a title that took him over a decade to claim, along with a meticulously planned menu for the Champions Dinner.

The world number two became the sixth male golfer—and the first European—to complete the career Grand Slam when he beat Justin Rose in a sudden-death playoff at Augusta last April. The victory ended an 11-year wait for his fifth major and the Green Jacket that had long eluded him.

“Defending the Masters Tournament is a pretty rare feat,” the 36-year-old Northern Irishman told reporters on Wednesday. “It’s something that I would love to do.”

McIlroy described the morning after his victory as unparalleled in his career. “I woke up and I just had to make sure that it wasn’t a dream. People talk about those pinch-me moments, and it really was like, ‘Did that really happen?’”

He added, “I talk about the morning after getting the world number one and having this sort of empty feeling—I didn’t have that with this. It just made me feel incredibly grateful for everything that’s happened in my life.”

McIlroy’s preparation for this year’s Masters was briefly disrupted when a back injury forced him to withdraw from the Arnold Palmer Invitational earlier this month. He confirmed that the issue has now been resolved.

“I’m really pleased with how my body responded to that little setback,” he said, adding that he plans to train over the next few weeks before heading back to Augusta National.

Menu Blends Family Favorites with Fine Dining

As host of the annual Champions Dinner, McIlroy is crafting a menu that blends personal experiences with high-end cuisine.

The first course is inspired by Le Bernardin, the New York restaurant he and his wife count among their favorites: yellowfin tuna carpaccio on a thin slice of French baguette with foie gras.

Appetizers include dates stuffed with goat cheese and wrapped in bacon—a recipe from his mother—alongside grilled elk sliders, rock shrimp tempura, and a Georgia peach and ricotta flatbread with hot honey.

“I wanted to try to bring a little bit of local ingredients in,” McIlroy said.

Main course options feature wagyu filet mignon or seared salmon, served with sides including traditional Irish champ. “When I was a kid, I used to eat champ by the bowlful,” he recalled.

The wine selection, however, is the headline act.

A 1990 Chateau Lafite Rothschild will anchor the evening. “That is the wine I drank the night I won the Masters, so obviously it brings back some great memories.”

The meal will close with a 1989 Chateau d’Yquem, the year of his birth. “I think every great meal deserves to be finished off with Chateau d’Yquem. It’s like liquid gold,” he said.

-Reporting by Angelica Medina in Mexico City; Editing by Toby Davis/Reuters