Corridor of Fame Baseball Participant Captures Iconic Picture on the Masters

A shot of Rory McIlroy collapsing to the inexperienced simply moments after sinking the successful putt at Augusta has already grow to be one in every of golf’s most unforgettable photos.

One of many skilled photographers who captured this celebratory second was former outfielder Ken Griffey Jr. The Corridor of Famer is greatest recognized for his clean swing and spectacular catches throughout his 22-year Main League Baseball profession.

Griffey was new to the Georgia hyperlinks as an expert, however McIlroy was a seasoned hand. The golfer, 35, had competed within the match 16 instances earlier than, however the coveted inexperienced jacket had eluded him.

With the Masters win, McIlroy turns into the sixth golfer to realize a Grand Slam. In males’s golf, a Grand Slam is when a participant wins all 4 main tournaments — The Masters, the PGA Championship, the British Open, and the US Open — over the course of their careers.

Griffey, 55, made his Augusta Nationwide debut this weekend as an accredited member of the Masters media.

On Sunday, Griffey was noticed in a white Nike Cap and a sleeveless black jacket over a black polo.

NBC Sports activities mentioned in a publish on X Monday night time that his “digital camera work on Masters Sunday was unbelievable.”

“While you hear you are going to shoot on the Masters, you need to say sure actual fast,” Griffey informed Golf Journal on Saturday. “However you then’re like, ohhh, I am gonna must work on some issues.”

“It does not matter your standing in life, if it is one thing you do not do professionally and all people here’s a skilled, you are still nervous to stroll within the room,” he mentioned.

How would these guys really feel if all of us obtained right into a batting cage, and I used to be sitting there critiquing them? It is the identical factor.”

A consultant for Griffey didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark from Enterprise Insider.

From swing to shutter

Griffey, enshrined in Cooperstown in 2016 and seventh on MLB’s all-time house run checklist, has been quietly constructing a second act behind the digital camera since retiring from baseball in 2010.

He picked up pictures after turning 35, hoping to remain centered at his children’ sporting occasions — particularly together with his daughter, who, he mentioned, needed “to ensure Dad is paying consideration,” Golf Journal reported.

Griffey has beforehand shot NFL and MLS video games — together with Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami soccer recreation — however McIlroy’s second may be the crowning jewel of his rising portfolio.

Griffey is not the one former sports activities star discovering new passions after retirement. San Francisco baseball star Barry Bonds is into biking, and NBA legend Karl Malone turned to truck driving. The 14-time All-Star now runs a number of companies, together with a trucking firm — and reportedly loves getting behind the wheel himself.

“It provides him time to assume,” an affiliate informed The US Solar in 2023.

Different high athletes have grow to be traders, particularly in tech and early-stage companies. Two-time World Cup champion Alex Morgan runs Trybe Ventures to put money into the sports activities area.

No less than one different baseball star has additionally discovered success behind the digital camera. Randy Johnson, a former MLB pitcher, has a portfolio spanning motorsports to African safaris.