With the Masters right around the corner, let’s take a different look at one of the most historic performances of all time. Of course, we are talking about Tiger Woods’ return to glory at the 2019 Masters. This could possibly be one of the greatest comebacks in all of sports.
On his way to the first tee, Tiger was no longer the betting favorite at the tournament he had won four times before. Injuries and other problems had changed Tiger and limited his ability to compete. Tiger no longer played a full schedule of tournaments and no longer dominated week after week on the Tour. But this wasn’t the Tiger of old, who returned from the ashes to silence the doubters. This was a new version of Tiger Woods. Tiger 2.0 had evolved and adapted to who he is, not who he was, to claim his fifth Green Jacket.
The pandemic delayed the 2020 Masters from April until November. So when Tiger returned to Augusta, he had the benefit of a little extra time to plan one of the more celebrated annual traditions in all of sports, the Champions Dinner. The Champion’s Dinner is a tradition that began in 1952 when Ben Hogan invited all of the previous champions to an exclusive dinner at Augusta National the Tuesday before the tournament began. The only requirement was that all attendees were required to wear their green jackets.
Twenty-twenty was Tiger’s fifth occasion hosting this meeting of the elite. Unlike the Tiger of old, who previously served cheeseburgers and milkshakes, Tiger 2.0 had evolved, culinarily speaking as well. For evidence of this notion look no further than the wine pairings Tiger offered to his fellow Champions.
For his return to glory celebration, Tiger served up offerings from the Shafer Vineyards family of wines. Shafer has been making classic Napa Valley grape juice for over 40 years. Not a full tasting, Tiger narrowed it down and offered one white and one red. The Champion lead with the Red Shoulder Ranch Chardonnay from 2015. Wine Enthusiast gave this selection a 94 rating. Wine Spectator followed suit with a similar 93. Both publications praised the wine for its notes of backed apple and pear and applauded the memorable and layered finish. Just like the scene on eighteen when Tiger closed it out. This selection certainly paired well with the custom sushi roll Tiger served as the first course, the Augusta roll.
To pair with the top-notch prime steak and fajitas of the main course, Tiger brought out a big and complex bottle of red, the 2015 Shafer Hillside Select Cabernet Sauvignon. The critic reviews of this vintage are nothing short of poetry and poetry doesn’t summarize well. Please read for yourself. The folks at Shafer described this wine as having pure and opulent aromas and flavors. The same can be said to describe the talent of the champion. It’s a few short clicks to Youtube to watch for yourself.
Only a select fraternity of twenty-six past champions along with Chairman Ridley were able to enjoy this wine with Tiger, but if you are lucky enough to acquire a bottle of one of these hard-to-find vintages, try to imagine what it would feel like to raise a glass with a legend and drink to a champion.
Cheers TRBL MKRS.
