Danny Willett reflected on his Masters Champions’ dinner with a sense of pride, as the Englishman and 30 other past winners of the Green Jacket celebrated his triumph at Augusta National last year and also paid tribute to the late Arnold Palmer.
Willett was the guest of honour in the traditional Tuesday night dinner and the Englishman chose a menu to reflect his home city of Sheffield, in Yorkshire, serving his fellow Masters Champions mini cottage pies followed by a Sunday roast of prime rib of beef, roast potatoes, vegetables and Yorkshire puddings, with apple crumble for desert.
Willett’s wife Nicole, who gave birth to the couple’s first child Zachariah just a week before he claimed his maiden Major Championship 12 months ago, had helped him choose the menu, which Willett said was well received by his peers.
📸 @TheMasters Champions Dinner, a night I'll never forget!🏆 pic.twitter.com/xgWDVEmioX
— Danny Willett (@Danny_Willett) April 5, 2017
“The menu went down very well,” sad the 29 year old. “Bubba ate a good bit of it and that’s always a good sign. He always has his burrito before but we managed to squeeze a little bit of cottage pie inside him, and a little bit of Yorkshire pudding, so we did well.”
Willett was joined by an illustrious group of past champions, including 94 year old Doug Ford, Tiger Woods, Tom Watson, Gary Player and six-time Green Jacket winner Jack Nicklaus.
“It was amazing," said Willett. "To be sat in a room with such legends of the game, guys you’ve seen on TV for so many years winning Majors, was amazing."
"Everything that went with the night was amazing. It really was a fantastic experience." Danny Willett
“I sat next to Mr Crenshaw and Mr Mize at the top of the table, and being able to look down and see Jack, Tom, Mr Player. It was an unbelievable evening and one I’ll never forget.
“I just kept sitting there smiling to myself. You are in a pretty famous club there. It was really special.
“It’s an incredibly unique thing. When you are practising as a kid, these things don’t really go through your mind, you just keep working hard, but when you are sat there last night, it starts to sink in that this is going to be every year. You’ll get to see other guys host you. That makes this event what it is.”
The night was also particularly poignant as it was the first Champions’ Dinner to be held since the passing of four-time Masters Champion Palmer last September.
“There were some really nice stories told about Mr Palmer,” said Willet. “Jack, Gary and Tom all stood up. They were the guys who played against each other for years and had so many memorable duels together. They said some beautiful words, and there were a couple of other funny stories from some of the older guys. It was just a nice evening and a nice tribute to Arnie.”
