While the Masters’ famed Champions Dinner is known as one of the most exclusive soirees in all of sports, a less conspicuous affair has quietly grown alongside that prestigious event, as revealed by GolfWeek.
For several years now, a North Dakota native, political fundraiser and Augusta National member named Bradford Freeman has hosted the champions’ wives at the club while the former tournament winners have their extravagant meal nearby.
As GolfWeek reported, Freeman has ceased to host the event due to health issues, but that task has been taken up by Frank Anderson, a University of Georgia donor and Augusta resident, as well as Ben Crenshaw’s wife, Julie.
The annual supper takes place during the Champions Dinner on Tuesday night, but typically lasts a bit longer, allowing the players to rejoin their spouses for a post-meal cocktail or two.
‘We get the best of both worlds,’ 2011 winner Charl Schwartzel told GolfWeek. ‘We get to eat with the boys and then join the wives afterwards.’
‘Our dinner is pretty quick these days,’ Danny Willett told GolfWeek. ‘So once we get through, me, Charl and Jordan [Spieth] will head down to the [clubhouse dining room].’
Ben Crenshaw’s wife, Julie, has helped organize the annual meal for champions’ wives
Angela Atkins Garcia, wife of Sergio Garcia, is one of several regular attendees at the event
Mike Weir’s wife Michelle attended her first ‘wives’ dinner at Augusta National this year
And according to Gentle Ben, the wives have ‘taken it to another gear.’
Attendees have included Annie Spieth, Sergio Garcia’s wife Angela, Rosalind Schwartzel, Nicole Willett, Raymond Floyd’s wife Jennifer and, making her first appearance at this week’s dinner, Mike Weir’s wife, Michelle.
‘I got excited seeing how excited [Michelle] was,’ Weir said. ‘To be honest, I didn’t even know the wives’ dinner was a thing.’
And as Weird told GolfWeek, he planned to meet up with Michelle and her friends after the Champions Dinner.
Occasional social media posts have shed light on the annual meal, which serves as one of several unofficial kickstarters to Masters week.
‘Gorgeous spring evening in Augusta,’ Julie wrote in 2021. ‘Thank you, Fargo for hosting us while the champs dine.’
As for which is the more entertaining meal, Charl Schwartzel said it’s a ‘close call,’ but told GolfWeek it’s the women who ‘really have fun.’
