The Masters isn’t the only major that has a champions dinner. Didn’t know that? Don’t feel bad; neither did reigning PGA champion Collin Morikawa — “DC” for defending champion as they are calling him this week — who is also the guy who set the menu and picked up the tab. When asked if he was aware of this tournament tradition, Morikawa chuckled and said, “No. But I’m glad it is.”

Much like at the more ballyhooed winners-only Champions Dinner held each year on the Tuesday of Masters week at Augusta National, the ticket to admission to Tuesday night’s soiree at the PGA Championship, which dates back to 1965, is having hoisted the Wanamaker Trophy. But there is one difference: Spouses and family members of past champions are included. Morikawa, who said he loves food, had the honor of selecting the menu and he offered plenty of options.

“It was kind of how much food can you just throw at everyone,” he said. “But no, I gave people the option of fish or fried chicken, so either you go healthy or you don’t go healthy.”

Pretty nice dinner tonight for the Champions Dinner. ⁦@PGAChampionship⁩ pic.twitter.com/oHuCjbErEn

— Dave Stockton Jr (@DSJR1) May 19, 2021

“It’s an honor to continue the tradition of choosing tonight’s dinner menu. It’s a mixture of selections I trust you will enjoy,” Morikawa wrote on the menu.

“It was just good to have people, like, share food and just have people talk to each other while they passed the plates. I think we all missed that,” he added. “The dinner was just kind of put together, foods that I love, and it was an awesome night really.

“It was so cool to talk to a bunch of champions, not just champions that I know, but just guys that are older that aren’t on Tour anymore, just to kind of hear stories from them. It’s a really meaningful night.”

As for the stories that were told, those will be guarded by Morikawa like state secrets. Asked to share his favorite, he demurred and said, “Well, I’m not going to tell you that.”

And now for a history lesson on the dinner, which began in 1965 at Laurel Valley Golf Club in Ligonier, Pennsylvania, thanks to PGA Historian Emeritus Bob Denney, who tracked down Bobby Nichols, the 1964 champ on short notice. Then-PGA President Warren Cantrell approached Nichols ahead of the 1965 Championship.

“I said that I would be honored,” recalled Nichols, who is 85 and living in Fort Myers, Florida. “I remember asking Warren if there was anything special he needed to say? He said I should just talk about the past year and his win.

“I asked Warren who was paying for the dinner? Do I pay for it as host? Cantrell said, ‘Don’t worry, we’ll take care of it.’

“I decided that I would have a little fun with Sam Snead,” Nichols continued. “As we reached the close of the evening, I said, ‘I want to thank you all for being here with us. It was the highlight of my life to be able to be among you past Champions and a real education to hear your stories of the ups and downs you shared.

Before we part, we want to help the PGA by paying for this inaugural dinner. I think one of our past Champions should help us do that. We will be going retroactive to 1942, and that begins with Sam Snead.’ “At that moment, Snead stood up and yelled, ‘B.S.!’ and headed for the exit.

The crowd was laughing hard and we all called for Sam to come back. ‘We were just kidding, Sam,’ I said. Sam did return to his seat.

“It was a wonderful evening. The only past Champion I don’t recall being there was Ben Hogan. We had Gene Sarazen, Johnny Revolta, Paul Runyan, Denny Shute, Vic Ghezzi and everyone after that through Jack Nicklaus, who won in 1963. I was happy that I could be the first to host a PGA Champions Dinner.”

Article originally appeared on: Golfweek.usatoday.com