As the reigning champion of the Masters Tournament, Rory McIlroy has officially crossed the Masters Dinner off his checklist. This time, 34 champions arrived at Augusta National for the Masters Dinner. The only ones missing from the hall were Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, and fans seemed to have missed them.
The Masters recently shared the 2026 Champions Dinner portrait with their three million followers on Instagram. With McIlroy taking the center of the table, Fred Ridley, the Augusta National Golf Club’s chairman, sat on his left, and Ben Crenshaw took the spot to McIlroy’s right. Meanwhile, the rest of the champions stood around him.
This was the second consecutive time Woods was absent from the table. His leg injury last year (Achilles tendon rupture) kept him out of the 2025 Masters dinner. This time, he faced a DUI arrest, and right now, he’s in Zurich, Switzerland, to get the necessary help to manage his health.
Meanwhile, an undisclosed personal issue likely troubles the 55-year-old HyFlyers GC captain. What we do know is that he’s spending his time with his family as they navigate a health matter. This problem kept him away from the first four LIV Golf events. And now, it’s the Masters Tournament, too. However, many still hoped that he’d appear for dinner with his fellow champions.
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Of course, McIlroy seemed disappointed with the absence of the legends as well. After all, Woods and McIlroy share a pretty close relationship. The 15x major champion was also one of the first to congratulate McIlroy on his grand slam completion last year. McIlroy felt disappointed when Phil Mickelson switched to LIV Golf and has often criticized golfers moving to the Saudi-backed league, but despite the tensions, the duo share mutual respect. Reflecting on their absence, McIlroy was candid.
“Unfortunately, there will be a couple of guys that won’t be in that room, which is a shame. But I want to make sure that they’re acknowledged as well. They’ve been two of the greatest champions that the Masters has ever seen.”
And as the Masters released the 2026 Champions Dinner photograph, fans quickly flooded the comments section. All they pointed at were the two missing spaces.
Netizens miss Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods at Rory McIlroy’s 2026 Masters Dinner
Many took note of Woods’s absence, despite being a Masters champion five times (1997, 2001, 2002, 2005, and 2019). One of the fans even believed that the 15x major champion could have received some good advice at Augusta National.
“Tiger should especially be there and his brothers in arms giving him a talking to, or at least they tried.” Another fan wrote, “I know it’s Rory’s moment, but it’s sad to not see Tiger there for it…”
Historically, the Champions Dinner has always reflected both continuity and change. While legends come and go depending on circumstances, their absence often becomes as much of a talking point as their presence. Woods, who last won the Masters in 2019, has attended multiple dinners over the years, making his no-show this time around even more noticeable.
As a three-time winner of the Masters Tournament (2004, 2006, and 2010), Mickelson deserves a good spot at the Champions Dinner. And most fans questioned his whereabouts in the comments section. Some even pointed at McIlroy’s rivalry with Mickelson (as a LIV Golf captain).
One fan wrote, “Where is Phil???” Another fan commented, “Rory must be fuming that he doesn’t immediately get the chance to flex on Phil.”
But one thing seemed pretty evident. The Champions Dinner portrait didn’t look complete without Mickelson and Woods. One comment read, “Not the same without Tiger and Phil.” Another fan added, “No Tiger or Phil is criminal.” One more fan wrote, “Feels weird with no Tiger and Phil 
.”
However, the poppy flowers at the center of the table appeared to be the main attraction. That was McIlroy’s way of giving a shoutout to his five-year-old daughter, Poppy Kennedy McIlroy.
One fan reflected on that and wrote, “Poppy flowers as the centerpiece. Nod to his daughter. This place can’t miss 
.”
Another netizen commented, “I’m crying at the poppies in the middle for his poppy. 
”
But what do you think of the 2026 Masters Dinner portrait?
