Rory McIlroy hosts Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson at PGA Champions dinner at Oak Hill

It doesn’t quite have the allure or self-ascribed traditional importance as the Masters champions dinner, but on Tuesday night, former PGA Championship winners gathered at the Oak Hill clubhouse for a meal. The group included the current top three players in the world, Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, and Rory McIlroy, as well as some old timers who won’t be hitting a single shot this week.

The PGA Championship’s Twitter account sent out this picture of the group gathering outside Oak Hill’s large tudor clubhouse:

The dinners are quickly becoming a larger part of a Tuesday tradition at all the majors, as more and more media dedicate more and more coverage to the run-up of the actual tournaments. We saw the former U.S. Open champs gather at Merion in June, a night that also included some bromantics (yay or nay?) between Rory and Tiger. Young McIlroy was in charge of the menu this week, and unsurprisingly, he opted for some Irish options (via Todd Lewis of Golf Channel):

As Will Gray noted, however, it is a bit weird that Mark Brooks and Y.E. Yang, two winners who are in Rochester and playing this week, aren’t in attendance and a part of the photo. Both players cashed in on that lifetime invite they hold as former PGA Champions, and they’re not exactly threats to be on the top of the leaderboard but maybe they’re still getting in some prep work.

While we aren’t left guessing and speculating all night about the menu like we were with Bubba at Augusta, it’s still a cool collection of champions, particularly with Phil, Rory, and Tiger in their bespoke attire cracking wise just before the season’s final major.

• Tiger Woods and an impossible standard

• Adding to the record books in Akron

• Tiger and son Charlie celebrate Firestone win | Another $1.5 million payday for golf’s richest man

• GIFS ’Psychotic’ squirrel invades Firestone | The best Tiger birdie celebration

• Michelle Wie a surprise captain’s pick for Solheim Cup

• PGA sets tee times, pairings for season’s final major