The annual Masters Champions Dinner is widely considered to be one of the best traditions in golf, but one notable past winner was absent when the 2025 edition of the event was held on Tuesday night. You may know him simply as Tiger.
A total of 32 former Masters champions posed for the iconic annual photo at Augusta National Golf Club on Tuesday night. Augusta National chairman Fred Ridley was also in the photo.
There were 35 chairs reserved for past Masters champions. Tiger Woods, Vijay Singh and Sandy Lyle were the three invitees who were unable to make it.
The 2025 Champions Dinner. #themasters pic.twitter.com/9S0ces0101
— The Masters (@TheMasters) April 9, 2025
Singh withdrew from the Masters due to an undisclosed injury. He had played in the tournament every year since 1994. Lyle cited “personal reasons” for missing the dinner for a second consecutive year.
Woods is not playing in the Masters this year after he suffered a torn Achilles while rehabbing from his latest back procedure. Charles Coody, winner of the 1971 Masters, said he was told Tiger missed the Champions Dinner because the 15-time major champion is experiencing mobility issues.
“We were putting our jackets away and the guys said that Tiger still can’t put weight on his foot,” Coody said, via Scooby Axson of USA Today. “They said his weight tolerance just isn’t there to climb up those stairs.”
Woods revealed back in September that he had undergone a successful procedure to correct a nerve impingement in his lower back. The 49-year-old has a long history of back issues and has had multiple surgeries to address them. He said he was hopeful the latest would alleviate the back spasms he dealt with in 2024.
Tiger has won five green jackets and is considered by many to be the greatest golfer of all time. The Masters always feels different without him, and the Champions Dinner is probably no exception.
