Menu Revealed for Jon Rahm’s Spanish-Style Masters Club Dinner

Jon Rahm’s cultura will be on display at the upcoming Masters Club dinner for champions next month.

The 29-year-old Spanish professional golfer and Masters champion will be serving up Spanish flavor at the ened.

Jon RahmThe cocktail reception will have gernika peppers, grown in a town in the Basque region of Spain when Rahm grew up. There also will be gildas, which he described as an anchovy skewer with peppers and olives.

“A lot of things are not people’s favorites, but it’s something that’s very common in the Basque country,” Rahm said Tuesday during a conference call for the Masters.

Among the appetizers is lentil stew — “Lentejas Estofadas” is how it is listed on the official menu — which came from his grandmother’s recipe.

Rahm, it appears, poured as much effort into the menu as he did for the Masters, where last year he outdueled Brooks Koepka on the final day to win by 4. He became the fourth Masters champion from Spain, joining Seve BallesterosJosé María Olazábal and Sergio Garcia.

The Masters Club, also known as the Champions Dinner, dates to 1952 when Ben Hogan organized a dinner for past champions. The dinner is only for Masters champions, with the club chairman (Fred Ridley) invited as an honorary member.

It’s not unusual for international dinners to bring a flavor from home — Angel Cabrera of Argentina served blood sausage, while Adam Scott served Moreton Bay bugs (lobster) — but Rahm is taking it to another level.

“I wanted to put a little bit of my heritage and my family into this dinner, which is going to make it even more special,” Rahm said. “It should be quite special. And they’re going to try a few things that they maybe haven’t seen before that are really quite tasty.”

The appetizers include acorn-fed Iberian ham and cured pork loin, known as “Ibericos.” There’s also a Spanish omelet with potatoes and “Croquet de Pollo,” which he described as creamy chicken fritters with potatoes. There’s also “Chistorra con Patata,” a spicy chorizo.

And then it’s time for the main course — Chuleton and Rodaballo al Pil-Pil.

Chuleton is a Basque ribeye that is seared and served already cut, with a hot plate that allows guests to cook it to the temperature of their choosing.

“Most people in northern Spain go about as much as medium rare,” Rahm said. “If you go past that, you’re going to get a weird look just because that’s how we are.”

The latter is a Turbot, a white fish popular in his region, served with asparagus.

And if there’s room left for dessert, Rahm is serving “Milhojas de Crema y Nata,” a puff pastry cake with custard and cream that was featured at Rahm’s wedding.

It isn’t always this complicated. The first time Tiger Woods hosted the Masters Club dinner in 1998, he served cheeseburgers, chicken sandwiches, french fries and milkshakes.

José María Olazábal Named a European Team Vice Captain for This Year’s Ryder Cup

José María Olazábal has a new vice (title)…

The 57-year-old Spanish professional golfer has been named as the European team’s fourth vice captain for the Ryder Cup.

José María Olazábal It’s the fourth time Olazábal will serve as assistant — after 2008, 2010 and 2014 — and he was captain for Europe’s famous comeback win at Medinah in 2012.

He also played for the European team on seven occasions from 1987 to 2006, winning 20½ points.

European captain Luke Donald had already picked three vice captains — Thomas BjørnEdoardo Molinari and Nicolas Colsaerts — for the Ryder Cup being held at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club in Rome from September 29 to October 1.

“I am really looking forward to feeling that special adrenaline flow, the intensity and the electricity that only the Ryder Cup can bring — I’m really excited to be part of it all again,” Olazábal said.

“It was a very nice surprise to be asked by Luke. I didn’t expect it, but I was delighted when the call came.”

Following Dramatic Playoff, Garcia Wins First Major Title at The Masters

Sergio Garcia is seeing green… Finally!

The 37-year-old Spanish golfer finally proved he can win a major, and he now has the iconic green jacket to prove it.

Sergio Garcia

Needing his best golf on just about every shot in the final hour at The Masters, Garcia overcame a two-shot deficit with six holes left to play and beat Justin Rose in a sudden-death playoff Sunday for his first major after nearly two decades of heartache.

No one ever played more majors as a pro — 70 — before winning one for the first time.

Garcia was able to get rid of the demons and the doubts with two big moments on the par 5s — one a par, the other an eagle — in closing with a 3-under 69. It was never easy until the end, when Rose sent his drive into the trees on the 18th hole in the playoff, punched out and failed to save par from 15 feet.

That gave Garcia two putts from 12 feet for the victory, and his putt swirled into the cup for a birdie. He crouched in disbelief, and shouted above the loudest roar of the day.

Sergio Garcia

Rose, who also closed with a 69, lovingly patted Garcia’s cheek before they embraced. Rose then tapped Garcia on the heart, which turned out to be a lot bigger than anyone realized.

“Ser-gee-oh! Ser-gee-oh!” the delirious gallery chanted to Garcia, who couldn’t contain his emotion.

Garcia turned with his arms to his side, blew a kiss to the crowd and then crouched again and slammed his fist into the turf of the green.

All that Spanish passion was on display, raw as ever, this time sheer joy.

Garcia became the third Spaniard in a green jacket, winning on what would have been the 60th birthday of the late Seve Ballesteros. And it was Jose Maria Olazabal, who won the Masters in 1994 and 1999, who sent him a text on the eve of the Masters telling Garcia to believe and “to not let things get to me like I’ve done in the past.”

He didn’t get down after missing a 6-foot putt on the 16th hole, or missing a 5-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole in regulation.

His chin was up and he battled to the end.

“If there’s anyone to lose to, it’s Sergio. He deserves it,” Rose said. “He’s had his fair share of heartbreak.”

This was shaping up as another, especially after Garcia watched a three-shot lead disappear as quickly as it took Rose to run off three straight birdies on the front nine.

Tied going to the back nine, Garcia immediately fell two shots behind with wild shots into the pine straw bed under the trees. Rose was poised to deliver a knockout on the par-5 13th when Garcia went left beyond the creek and into a bush. He had to take a penalty shot to get out and hit his third shot 89 yards short of the green. Rose was just over the back of the green in two, on the verge of turning a two-shot lead into four.

Everyone figured this was coming, right? Garcia himself had said, in a moment of self-pity, that he didn’t have what it takes to win a major. Four times he was runner-up. This was his third time playing in the final group.

But right when it looked to be over, momentum shifted to Garcia.

He hit wedge to 7 feet and escaped with par. Rose rolled his chip down to 5 feet and missed the birdie putt. The lead stayed at two shots but not for long. Garcia birdied the 14th. His 8-iron into the par-5 15th landed inches in front of the hole and nicked the pin, and he holed the 14-foot eagle putt to tie for the lead.

Rose took the lead with an 8-foot birdie on the 16th and gave it back by missing a 7-foot par putt on the 18th.

Not since 1998 have the last two players on the course gone to the 18th tied for the lead, and both had their chances to win. Rose’s approach hit off the side of the bunker and kicked onto the green, stopping 7 feet away. Garcia answered with a wedge that covered the flag and settled 5 feet away.

Both missed.

The playoff didn’t last long. Rose was in trouble from the start with an errant tee shot, and Garcia didn’t waste the opportunity.

Garcia Equals Tiger Woods’ Course Record to Lead at the Bridgestone Invitational

It’s a banner day on the course for Sergio Garcia

The 34-year-old Spanish professional golfer logged the best round of his career on Friday at the Bridgestone Invitational.

Sergio Garcia

Garcia one-putted the final 11 holes and made birdies on his last seven holes to tie the course record at Firestone with a 9-under 61 to take a three-shot lead into the weekend.

He had a birdie putt on every hole on the back nine, missing only a 15-footer from the fringe at No. 11. Garcia shot 27 on the back nine, a course record.

“Just one of those moments that you love and you enjoy, and you wish there were no end,” he said.

Garcia’s feat matched the tournament record held by Tiger Woods, who shot 61 in 2000 and ’13, and Jose Maria Olazabal, who shot his 61 in 1990. Woods went on to win by 11 shots in 2000 and seven shots last year. Olazabal won by 12 in the World Series of Golf.

But Garcia still has his work cut out for him.

He was at 11-under 129, three shots clear of Justin Rose, who had a 67. Open Championship winner Rory McIlroy birdied his last two holes for a 64 and joined Marc Leishman of Australia (67) four shots out of the lead.

Garcia was five shots out of the lead when he had to scramble to save pars on back-to-back holes to close out the front nine on what seemed to be an ordinary round. Two good swings on the 10th hole led to a 20-foot birdie putt. He hit an 8-iron to 2 feet on No. 12 and 3 feet on No. 13 for the easiest birdies he had all day, and those turned out to be the start of his big run.

The Spaniard finished in style, making birdie putts of 15, 25 and 20 feet on his last three holes.

His previous best score was a 62 on three other occasions — as a 19-year-old at the Scottish Open and Byron Nelson Classic in 1999, and at Mount Juliet in 2002 at the American Express Championship.

Jimenez Makes History at the Masters Golf Tournament

Miguel Angel Jimenez has entered the annals of Masters history…

The 50-year-old Spanish professional golfer made Masters Golf Tournament history on Saturday by tying the record for the lowest score shot by a player age 50 or older.

Miguel Angel Jimenez

Jimenez, who has 20 wins on the European Tour, shot 6-under-par 66 to surge up the leaderboard and move two shots behind co-leaders Jordan Spieth and Bubba Watson in a tie for fifth place

Jimenez matched the 66 shot by Ben Hogan at the Augusta National Golf Club in 1967 and again by Fred Couples in 2010.

“I love the place,” he said. “It’s a beautiful place, a beautiful golf course, always manicured, and I feel great here. Doesn’t matter how you play, you feel good, because everything is prepared for us the way it is.

“If you are 50 doesn’t mean that you cannot play well. I’m still moving. I’m still flexible … the main thing is I’m doing what I like to do in my life and I’m enjoying it completely.”

Jimenez, who won the UBS Hong Kong Open late last year, started his round at 3 over, but birdied the third, fifth, 10th and 11th holes before a bogey at No. 12. He then added birdies at Nos. 13, 14 and 16.

Playing in his 15th Masters, Jimenez matched his lowest score at Augusta National, shot in 2010. His best finish is a tie for eighth in 2008.

Although Jimenez is scheduled to make his Champions Tour debut next week in Atlanta, he doesn’t plan to make a habit of the 50-and-older circuit — at least not this year. He has a goal of making the European Ryder Cup team.

“I know I have a chance to play the Ryder Cup,” said Jimenez, who is ranked 40th in the world and 13th on the European Tour points list — a world list is also used to determine the nine automatic qualifiers.

Jimenez has played on four European teams and was a vice captain for Jose Maria Olazabal‘s winning team in 2012 at Medinah.