Even the idyllic confines of Augusta National can't escape the pressures of the real world.
Driving the news: The iconic Georgia Peach ice cream sandwich is absent from the Masters this year due to supply-chain issues, per the club. Some other items increased in price due to record inflation.
State of play: It's unclear what specific issues caused this, but our rigorous investigation into the matter produced three possible culprits: peaches (rising costs), freezers (only item that needs them) and cookies.
- Christie Cookies in Nashville has long supplied the sandwich's cookies, plus individually-wrapped ones. We were unable to confirm if this year's $1.50 cookies are from Christie.
- Prices remain comically low for a 21st-century sporting event, but some items saw rare price hikes due to inflation, including the sausage biscuit ($1.50 to $2), coffee ($1.50 to $2) and domestic beer ($4 to $5).
Of note: Not all food-related Masters news is bad. Hideki Matsuyama selected an all-time great menu for Tuesday's Champions Dinner, and there's a new concession item: "Breakfast Sandwich."
The bottom line: This week at Augusta, fans will watch the world's best tee it up in golf heaven. But their experience will be missing one key (and delicious) ingredient.
Editor's note: This article was first published on April 7.