Masters champions get what Masters champions want, especially when it’s at the Masters Champions Dinner.
For Larry Mize and Bernhard Langer, that means the olives.
“They have these special olives,” Mize, the 1987 Masters winner, told GOLF’s Claire Rogers in the video you can watch above. “Bernhard Langer sits next to me and we love the olives. They come by with the olives and a lot of times they’ll have a little cornbread with it. The olives are out of this world. I’ve never had an olive like this.”
Langer, a two-time champion in 1985 and 1993, called the olives “famous.”
These obviously aren’t the same olives you can find at your local supermarket.
An investigation from GOLF’s James Colgan found the olives actually can be traced back all the way to Augusta National co-founder Clifford Roberts. Turns out olives were Roberts’ favorite snack and he insisted the fruit be served straight from the can.
The Graber Olive Company in Ontario, California sells Augusta its special olives. This year’s order of size-16 olives was for 528 cans, costing more than $5,500.
And they’re always a staple at the club’s biggest events, including the Champions Dinner. But if for some reason they’re not, some champions will get that taken care of real quick.
“If they don’t bring them around, Langer and I will request them, and they’ll go get them for us,” Mize said.
Jack Hirsh
Golf.com Editor
Jack Hirsh is the Associate Equipment Editor at GOLF. A Pennsylvania native, Jack is a 2020 graduate of Penn State University, earning degrees in broadcast journalism and political science. He was captain of his high school golf team and recently returned to the program to serve as head coach. Jack also still *tries* to remain competitive in local amateurs. Before joining GOLF, Jack spent two years working at a TV station in Bend, Oregon, primarily as a Multimedia Journalist/reporter, but also producing, anchoring and even presenting the weather. He can be reached at jack.hirsh@golf.com.
