Just two weeks after the first men’s Major of the year, The Masters, got underway at Augusta National, the Chevron Championship marks the start of Major season in the women’s game.
Last year, Nelly Korda claimed her second Major title at the big event when she beat Swede Maja Stark by 2 to succeed Lilia Vu as champion.
Like The Masters, one of the big perks of winning The Club at Carlton Woods event is that the current holder gets to set the menu for the Champions Dinner the following year, and Korda’s has now been revealed.
The dinner, which will be held three days before the tournament begins, has been curated by world-renowned chef Thomas Keller. There, Korda will take her place among former champions as they are served a starter of caviar from Keller’s California business Regiis Ova Caviar. The starter also includes a bigeye tuna tartare with cucumber, green apple and dill. Before the main course, the guests will also enjoy cream of mushroom soup with new crop onions and garden peas.
Like The Masters Champions Dinner, the occasion gives the champion the opportunity to create a menu with nods to their heritage. For example, in 2024, Vu, whose parents settled in the US after leaving Vietnam in the 1980s, chose a meal that included a some of the country’s influences. This year, Korda has continued that tradition with a ghoulash sauce, which accompanies a herb-roasted Wagyu filet, hinting at her Czech heritage.
Also served with the main course will be Greek salad, white asparagus, yam gratin and mushrooms.
Finally, another Czech dish is on the menu for dessert, Ovocné knedlíky - fruit dumplings that will be topped with toasted poppy seeds and a Tahitian vanilla glaze.
While that is sure to whet the appetite of those in attendance, with Keller at the helm it’s likely to live up to expectations, too, particularly judging by Vu’s reaction following the 2024 Champions Dinner. She said: “Oh, my God, last night was amazing. Every single course that came out, he hit it out of the park. It was so good.”
