Champions – Ultra Golfing

At Masters Champions Dinner, Rory McIlroy found his future seat

admin — Fri, 08 May 2026 18:50:34 +0000

The Masters Champions Dinner is a nerve-wracking experience for first-time hosts. You want to hit everything out of the park, from the appetizers to the dessert and the drinks. But one of the biggest Champions Dinner questions doesn’t get answered until the year after you first sit at the head of the table.

Where do I sit?

The defending champion and dinner host always sits between Ben Crenshaw, the unofficial emcee, and chairman Fred Ridley, at the head. The next year, it’s up to newcomers to find their future spot. Over the years, different cliques have formed at the table. Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, and Tom Watson sit to the left of the head. Zach Johnson and Jordan Spieth rub shoulders, along with Dustin Johnson and Bubba Watson. Adam Scott and Trevor Immelman sit at the far corner. And so it goes.

“It’s not assigned seating, but a lot people sit in the same chairs,” Scott said in 2023. “I like that, to be perfectly honest. I like the fact that you kind of feel like that’s your spot.”

After Scottie Scheffler hosted the dinner in 2023, he had to pick a spot to sit that would become his.

“There’s a little protocol,” Scheffler said at this year’s Arnold Palmer Invitational about the seating arrangements at the fabled dinner. “I’m definitely not going to go sit in the area where Tiger and Jack sit. Like, there’s kind of spots where you kind of feel you’ll naturally flow into.”

Scheffler normally would cozy up next to his Dallas buddy Spieth, but he didn’t want to give the 2015 champion an opportunity to prank him in front of everyone. “I definitely didn’t ask Jordan to sit by him, because he would have done something to make sure that I didn’t have a place to sit,” Scheffler said, laughing. He ended up asking Johnson and is now a part of that table cohort.

At this past year’s Champions Dinner, Rory McIlroy wowed with a menu that included wagyu steak, which players raved about, yellowfin tuna carpaccio and a brilliant selection of wines from Augusta National’s famed cellar. As McIlroy sat between Crenshaw and Ridley, he surveyed the layout of the table and noticed something.

“It’s a big, long table. Like a U-shape,” McIlroy said on the New Heights podcast with Jason and Travis Kelce. “And at the bottom-left corner, you’ve got Trevor Immelman and Adam Scott. And they just look like they’re having the best time. They are just having the night of their lives. And I said to Adam and Trevor, If I don’t win this year, just save me a seat down by you guys.”

Although McIlroy’s journey down to Scott and Immelman’s corner will have to wait for at least another year, after he became just the fourth player in history to successfully defend his title at Augusta National.

That historic achievement now leaves McIlroy with a different Champions Dinner query: What’s on next year’s menu?

“I think everyone enjoyed the dinner. I tried to do enough dishes that would please everyone. And I’m a big wine guy. I collect wine and I have done that for the last 10 years, so the wine selection was something that was pretty important to me,” McIlroy said. “I went pretty fancy this year. It’s always on the Tuesday night, so I was thinking that I could just do a Taco Tuesday or something. We’ll see.”

McIlroy’s 2026 Masters win was a different kind of victory than his cathartic 2025 triumph. In 2025, McIlroy crumpled to the ground overcome with relief that he had finally accomplished a lifelong dream. This time, McIlroy tapped in his winning putt and felt only joy.

“Nothing will ever top the euphoria of it all last year,” McIlroy said. “But this year was validation. Like, I proved last year that I could do it at this place and then I go back without my best stuff — I built a really big lead over two days. But to get it done in the manner in which I did — lost the lead on Sunday, came back and played really solid to get it done — just validaiton on my part that this is where I should be. This is the level that I should be operating at.”

McIlroy did that, and now, he’s got another dinner to plan before, maybe, taking his place next to Scott and Immelman.

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Bettinardi Releases Officially Licensed NFL Product Seattle Seahawks Super Bowl LX Champions Collection

admin — Mon, 09 Mar 2026 09:00:59 +0000

Officially Licensed NFL Product Collection features Super Bowl LX Winners Seattle Seahawks

TINLEY PARK, Ill., — Bettinardi Golf today announces the release of the Seattle Seahawks Super Bowl LX Champions Collection, an officially licensed NFL offering created to commemorate the Seahawks’ Super Bowl LX championship with a limited-edition putter and matching accessories.

Developed and produced in Bettinardi Golf’s Tinley Park, Illinois facility, the collection brings together championship recognition and the company’s precision-milled manufacturing process. The release continues Bettinardi’s growing portfolio of officially licensed sports collaborations.

The collection is anchored by a limited-edition Studio Stock SS28 putter, featuring championship engravings honoring the Seahawks’ Super Bowl LX victory and subtle references to the host city of the championship game. Officially licensed accessories—including a headcover, divot tool, and ball marker—rounds out the release.

Produced in limited quantities, the Super Bowl LX Champions Collection is intended to serve as both a commemorative piece and a functional, Tour-inspired putter built to Bettinardi’s established performance standards.

“Championship moments deserve to be honored with the same precision and care that goes into winning them,” said Sam Bettinardi, President of Bettinardi Golf. “This collection celebrates the Seahawks’ Super Bowl LX title through our craftsmanship and attention to detail, creating something meaningful for fans, collectors, and golfers alike.

PRICING & AVAILABILITY

Putter Price: $850

Accessories: Headcover, divot tool, ball marker

Launch Timing: Pre-Order is live now

Availability: Bettinardi.com and select authorized Bettinardi retailers

About Bettinardi Golf

Bettinardi Golf is a family-owned manufacturer of precision-milled putters, wedges, and accessories based in Tinley Park, Illinois. Founded in 1998 by Robert J. Bettinardi, the company designs, mills, and assembles its products in the USA and has recorded more than 100 professional victories worldwide.

About NFL

Founded in 1920, the National Football League features 32 franchises across the United States that compete annually for the Super Bowl, the world’s most celebrated sporting event. Attracting fans from around the globe, the NFL has set the standard for modern sports leagues, bringing communities together to celebrate a game that continually evolves while balancing tradition and innovation. With core values of respect, integrity, responsibility, and resilience, the NFL emphasizes that success is measured not only by the results you achieve but also by how you achieve them.

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BRAMSHAW GOLF CLUB CROWNED NATIONAL MATCHPLAY CHAMPIONS – Golf News

admin — Wed, 11 Feb 2026 23:15:39 +0000

Bramshaw Golf Club, near Lyndhurst, has been crowned National Team Matchplay Champions after a superb performance at the Academia Golf Club Classic in Spain.

The Hampshire side swept aside Yorkshire outfit Malton and Norton by 4.5 points to 0.5 in the grand final, staged at Montecastillo Golf and Country Club, to lift the national title in style.

Bramshaw’s squad of Mike Evans, Clayton Phelps, Dan Murphy, Ray Nother, Nick Thorne, Andy Macey and Andy Redman travelled to Spain for the semi finals having already battled through six rounds of competition.

Their impressive run included victory over 2024 losing finalists Farnham.

In the semi final they faced Middleton Golf Club from Kings Lynn and produced a commanding display to secure a 4 to 1 win, booking their place in the showpiece final against Malton and Norton.

From the opening tee shot of the final, Bramshaw were in control. Andy Macey, who has represented the club for five decades, set the tone with a superb 4 and 3 victory to claim the opening point. The momentum never shifted.

Ray Nother delivered the decisive blow on the 16th green to secure the championship, as Bramshaw powered to an emphatic 4.5 to 0.5 triumph.

Captain hails team effort after landmark season

Team captain Mike Evans praised the achievement after the victory.

“For Bramshaw to have qualified in the first place was a huge achievement so to walk away as 2025 Academia Champions surpassed all our expectations,” he said.

“The team played some superb golf and we could not be happier returning the trophy to Hampshire.”

While seven players made the trip to Spain for finals weekend, the success was very much a squad effort. Gary Anderson, Jeff Vanderman, Bruce Lawrence, Mark Ruth, Wayne Noble and Jon Maloney all played key roles in the earlier rounds as Bramshaw progressed through the competition.

The national triumph caps a remarkable period for the club. Earlier in the season Bramshaw lifted the Hampshire County Sevens title, the first time in 48 years the club had claimed the honour, underlining a resurgence that has now been crowned on the national stage.

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ECCO GOLF AMBASSADOR THOMAS BJORN WINS SECOND CHAMPIONS TOUR TITLE OF 2025

admin — Sun, 08 Feb 2026 00:16:02 +0000

ECCO GOLF ambassador, Thomas Bjørn, delivered an impressive performance at the Stifel Charity Classic for his first individual victory on the PGA TOUR Champions.

Bjørn, wearing ECCO GOLF LT1, shot a final round four-under-par 67 to get into a playoff – where he would triumph on the first sudden death hole.

His victory this week at Norwood Hills Country Club marks his second title of 2025, after winning the American Family Insurance Championship back in June.

Commenting on his second victory of 2025, Bjørn said: “I played so well this year, I got close in a few of the majors and I think when you’re in those senior major championships where you’re going up against some really strong guys that eventually you’re going to get over the line, eventually something’s going to go your way.”

Timo Vollrath, Head of Global Marketing at ECCO GOLF, commented on Bjørn’s latest triumph: “Thomas has been a stalwart of ECCO GOLF for many years, and we’re delighted to see him thriving on the PGA TOUR Champions.

“It’s a privilege to work with Thomas, and he is a fantastic ambassador for ECCO GOLF shoes. We look forward to continuing to support him going forward!” he added.

In addition to Thomas Bjørn, ECCO GOLF shoes are worn in competition around the world by Lydia Ko, Thorbjørn Olesen, Alison Lee, Erik van Rooyen, Henrik Stenson, Freddy Schott, Janet Lin, Rick Shiels and Erik Anders Lang among others. For further information about ECCO GOLF, please visit golf.ecco.com.

For more information, please visit golf.ecco.com

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