Charles Barkley Roasts Rory McIlroy’s Masters Menu, Stuns Ernie Johnson With His Own

Charles Barkley was left unimpressed by Rory McIlroy's Masters Club dinner menu.

Charles Barkley Roasts Rory McIlroy’s Masters Menu, Stuns Ernie Johnson With His Own

NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley (Image via FirstSportz)

In Short
  • Charles Barkley humorously criticized Rory McIlroy's 2026 Masters Dinner menu on his podcast.
  • Barkley proposed his own menu featuring fried chicken, shrimp cocktail, and key lime pie.
  • Rory McIlroy recently won his second Masters Tournament, successfully defending his title.

Charles Barkley is well known for his hilarious responses and takes. This time, the former MVP humorously criticized Rory McIlroy’s 2026 Masters Champions Dinner menu.

On the latest episode of his podcast with Ernie Johnson, a fan asked Barkley what would be on his Masters Dinner menu and what was his take on McIlroy’s menu.

It’s a little too fufu for me (on McIlroy’s menu). The flatbread. That’s not a thing. I can go with the rock shrimp tempura. You gotta have meat on your flatbread. That’s the only way you can fu*k up bacon (on bacon-wrapped dates). I’d take the fried chicken that they got at the Masters. For appetizers, I’ll start with shrimp cocktail and crab cocktail, caesar salad, some type of vegetarian bulls***, a doversole. Key lime pie and apple pie and vanilla ice cream for dessert.

Charles Barkley on The Steam Room podcast

Charles Barkley is a vocal figure. He does not shy away from expressing his mind on politics, sports, or any topic. Often referred to as an “old-head”, he made headlines recently for his controversial take on parenting, where he encouraged modern-day parents to spank their children to discipline them.

Rory McIlroy is coming off a historic second Masters Tournament win. The world number two successfully defended the title with a 1-shot victory on Sunday. The win put him in a very exclusive list of golfers. He joined Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo, and Tiger Woods as the only players to successfully defend their titles at the Masters.

The Masters Tournament Dinner menu is set by the previous year’s winner. However, Barkley does not seem very interested in this year’s menu set by the 36-year-old golfer.

Rory McIlroy reveals menu for Masters Club dinner

While the menu may not be suitable to Charles Barkley’s taste palate, the menu chosen by Rory McIlroy is inspired by his upbringing, local Georgia cuisine, and some of his favorite dishes from around the world.

McIlroy chose four appetizers: bacon-wrapped dates, grilled elk sliders, rock shrimp tempura and peach and ricotta flatbread. The bacon dish, which was criticized by Barkley, is inspired by McIlroy’s mother, while the flatbread is an homage to local Georgia flair.

The first course includes yellowfin tuna carpaccio. For the main course, the Masters champions can pick between wagyu filet mignon or seared salmon. For dessert, McIlroy opted for the sticky toffee pudding.
The dinner is one of the most well-known traditions of the year’s first major, hosted annually on Tuesday night for all the past champions.

Charles Barkley makes his Los Angeles Lakers-Houston Rockets prediction

The first round of the playoffs will see the fourth-seeded Los Angeles Lakers take on the fifth-seeded Houston Rockets. It will be the first time LeBron James and Kevin Durant will clash in a playoff series since the 2018 NBA Finals.

The Lakers will be missing their two primary scorers for the beginning of the playoffs. Luka Doncic hurt his hamstring ,which has sidelined him for four to six weeks, while Austin Reaves was diagnosed with a Grade 2 left oblique muscle injury.

Kevin Durant and LeBron James
Kevin Durant and LeBron James (Image credits – Clutch City Brasil/X)

Charles Barkley made his prediction for the series and has strong expectations for Houston.

Are those boys going to play? Luka [Doncic] and [Austin] Reaves? That’s a wrap! The Rockets are going to advance! If those two guys don’t play, the Rockets are going to beat the Lakers. I don’t even think that’s a close series without them two. The Rockets are getting a huge break.

Charles Barkley on Inside the NBA

The first round is scheduled to begin on Saturday night. With Doncic and Reaves likely to be missing for the first few games, the Lakers will be heavily reliant on LeBron James to shoulder the scoring and ball-handling duties.

It is a lot to expect from a 41-year-old to lead the team and perform at a high level in the playoffs. Hence, it is not surprising to see Barkley picking the Rockets to go through. The Rockets won nine of their last 10 regular-season games.

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