A shot of Rory McIlroy collapsing to the green just moments after sinking the winning putt at Augusta has already become one of golf’s most unforgettable images.
One of the professional photographers who captured this celebratory moment was former outfielder Ken Griffey Jr. The Hall of Famer is best known for his smooth swing and spectacular catches during his 22-year Major League Baseball career.
Griffey was new to the Georgia links as a professional, but McIlroy was a seasoned hand. The golfer, 35, had competed in the tournament 16 times before, but the coveted green jacket had eluded him.
With the Masters win, McIlroy becomes the sixth golfer to achieve a Grand Slam. In men’s golf, a Grand Slam is when a player wins all four major tournaments — The Masters, the PGA Championship, the British Open, and the US Open — over the course of their careers.
Griffey, 55, made his Augusta National debut this weekend as an accredited member of the Masters media.
On Sunday, Griffey was spotted in a white Nike Cap and a sleeveless black jacket over a black polo.
NBC Sports said in a post on X Monday night that his “camera work on Masters Sunday was incredible.”
“When you hear you’re going to shoot at the Masters, you want to say yes real quick,” Griffey told Golf Magazine on Saturday. “But then you’re like, ohhh, I’m gonna need to work on some things.”
“It doesn’t matter your status in life, if it’s something you don’t do professionally and everybody here is a professional, you’re still nervous to walk in the room,” he said.
How would these guys feel if we all got into a batting cage, and I was sitting there critiquing them? It’s the same thing.”
A representative for Griffey did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.
Augusta National/Augusta National/Getty Images
From swing to shutter
Griffey, enshrined in Cooperstown in 2016 and seventh on MLB’s all-time home run list, has been quietly building a second act behind the camera since retiring from baseball in 2010.
He picked up photography after turning 35, hoping to stay focused at his kids’ sporting events — especially with his daughter, who, he said, wanted “to make sure Dad is paying attention,” Golf Magazine reported.
Griffey has previously shot NFL and MLS games — including Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami soccer game — but McIlroy’s moment might be the crowning jewel of his growing portfolio.
Griffey isn’t the only former sports star finding new passions after retirement. San Francisco baseball star Barry Bonds is into cycling, and NBA legend Karl Malone turned to truck driving. The 14-time All-Star now runs multiple businesses, including a trucking company — and reportedly loves getting behind the wheel himself.
“It gives him time to think,” an associate told The US Sun in 2023.
Other top athletes have become investors, especially in tech and early-stage businesses. Two-time World Cup champion Alex Morgan runs Trybe Ventures to invest in the sports space.
At least one other baseball star has also found success behind the camera. Randy Johnson, a former MLB pitcher, has a portfolio spanning motorsports to African safaris.
