Ken Griffey Jr. Captured Some All-Time Photos Of Rory McIlroy Winning The Masters At Augusta National

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Ken Griffey Jr. has picked up photography in recent years as a bit of a side hustle. Already in 2025, the Baseball Hall of Famer worked as a credential photographer for the Los Angeles Dodgers - Chicago Cubs series in Japan, and then took his talents to Augusta National to snap shots during one of the most electric Masters of all time.

Griffey Jr. was on site at Augusta National throughout the week, and not only did he manage to secure a stellar spot around the 18th green to witness Rory McIlroy's playoff victory over Justin Rose on Sunday, he captured some truly iconic photos of the moment.

While a huge number of Griffey Jr. photos from the Masters can be found on Getty Images, two stand above the rest.

One of Griffey Jr.'s photos features McIlory with his hands on his knees, overcome with emotion essentially being held up by his caddie and best friend, Harry Diamond.

(Photo by Ken Griffey Jr./Augusta National/Getty Images)

The photo showing two best friends relishing a moment for the history books, another photo of McIlroy lying on his hands and knees just seconds after making the green-jacket-clinching putt is as raw and cool as it gets.

(Photo by Ken Griffey Jr./Augusta National/Getty Images)

McIlroy wasn't crying in that moment, he was sobbing after finally winning his first Masters to become just the sixth player of the modern era to complete the career Grand Slam.

Some photography aficionados out there may find something off with Griffey's shot of McIlroy lying on the green, but being positioned in that spot and capturing that exact moment in time is special not only for the golf world, but the sports world in general.

Not only did Ken Griffey Jr. hit 630 home runs in the MLB, he's pretty damn good with a camera. 

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Mark covers all sports at OutKick while keeping a close eye on the world of professional golf. He graduated from the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga before earning his master's degree in journalism from the University of Tennessee. Before joining OutKick, he wrote for various outlets, including SB Nation, The Spun, and BroBible. Mark was also a writer for the Chicago Cubs Double-A affiliate in 2016, when the team won the World Series. He's still waiting for his championship ring to arrive. Follow him on Twitter @itismarkharris.