Getting the Shot: Rory McIlroy's Sunday Approach into No. 15 at the Masters

The final round of Rory McIlroy’s 2025 Masters victory will be remembered for many different reasons, chief among them his shot into No. 15. With Justin Rose’s onslaught of birdies ahead and having played the last four holes 4-over par, McIlroy found himself behind the set of trees left of the fairway on the par 5 and in need of some positive momentum. Many on-site thought he was laying up, but when he unleashed a slinging 7-iron hook around the trees, it was clear that this shot could decide his tournament fate.

As all of this was happening, Fried Egg Golf’s photographer Cameron Hurdus was standing about 100 feet behind Rory McIlroy, in perfect position to document the drama. Cameron sat down with Will Knights to talk through the moment and what all went into this photograph.

Will Knights: Alright, so I think we need to start by getting a sense of your path to the 15th hole. Had you been planning where you were going to stand on the second nine on Sunday or was your plan to just follow the action and stand where you could?

Cameron Hurdus: First off, I don’t want to come off in any way as arrogant when talking about this week or any of the shots I was lucky enough to take. It’s so unbelievable that we’ve been granted the ability to shoot our own editorial photos during the tournament but there are photographers on-site that have been doing it for so much longer than me (David Cannon shot his 40th Masters this year) and are so much more seasoned in golf photography in general. And so often, many of these shots just come down to being in the right place at the right time.

But to answer your question, my plan initially was to follow the final pairing (as best I could – the size of the crowd following them was immense) or at least try and hit them at a few points through the round, thinking they’d be the main storylines no matter what. But once Rory dumped his third shot on 13, my head – and everyone else’s – started to spin.

WK: Before that, after Rory safely made it through No. 12, was there a sense that there wouldn’t be much drama to follow down the stretch?

CH: Brendan Porath mentioned it on our Shotgun Start Podcast but after his tee shot, there was an almost biblical exodus from Amen Corner. The area between twelve grandstand, the large concession stand, and the edge of 13 fairway was absolutely jammed with patrons flooding up the hill and my own mind started to think ahead to possibly just sitting at 18 and trying to get in a good position for a final green photo for what was obviously going to be a five-hole procession to his title.

We watched him lay up and then I walked back towards the tee in order to get a good down-the-line shot of his third into 13. The groans that emanated from the stands by 14  tee said it all and everyone just sort of looked at each other in bewilderment. There was a legitimate and palpable shift in the energy in that moment and I realized I needed to try and get some shots of Justin Rose and Ludvig Aberg so I quickly started walking up the hill where you can fairly easily jump between 14 green, and across 15 fairway to 17 green.

WK: Once Rory ends up on the left side of No. 15, is there a mad scramble to get into the right position on your part or what was the process like to actually get to your final spot?

CH: As Rory was playing No. 14 I was hanging around 17 green since Rose was quite a few groups ahead. He ended up right of the green so I stood there knowing I might not get the best shot of Rose were he to save par, but that I should be able to get back to fifteen fairway as Rory was playing it, just in case.

When Rose missed the putt I turned around and saw Rory walking down the fairway. Fifteen is an interesting hole to photograph because there’s no way to get any of the green in the frame on the approach shots since we’re stuck on either side of the rope line. Typically a lot of the photographers set up on the right side since it’s face on to right-handers but I noticed that Rory and his caddie, Harry Diamond, were walking towards the trees on the left so I started moving very quickly through the crosswalk and down left-hand ropeline, just hoping to get an angle of whatever shot he’d hit.

WK: Before he selected the club, did you get the sense that what was about to happen would decide the tournament?

CH: From my perspective, after quite a few minutes of discussion with Harry, and the way Rory’s body language looked as he stared towards the green, there was a real sense of resignation when he pulled the club from the bag like, “this is it.”

WK: How soon after taking that burst of photos did you know that you had gotten a great angle for what would become the defining shot of the round

CH: I think I knew that I got a cool angle but also you’re never sure of anything until you see the photos. I also knew that the tournament was still not over so I sort of forgot about the shot until I got back into the Press Building. Also, you’re just praying that it’s in focus.

The most interesting aspect was that there were no other photographers around me and almost no other patrons. You couldn’t see the green so I don’t blame them but one of the most mesmerizing parts of that final round was just how immense the crowds were. So to be able to get a shot that captured at least a little bit of the ‘scene’ – the grandstands on the right, the patrons wrapping around 16, and the TV capturing the shot – hopefully it gives people a different perspective on it. Not to mention the ball is visible and shows just how far right he had to start the shot!

WK: Where does that moment rank in terms of the coolest shots you’ve seen from behind the camera lens?

CH: I think it is absolutely number one. Look, I’m not a full-time golf photographer like most of my peers are at Augusta so I don’t have a ton of tournaments to pull from. But the sensation I felt watching Rory stride after his shot through my camera, followed by one of the loudest, most impassioned roars I’ve ever experienced, on a hole that has decided so many tournaments, is a moment and a feeling that I will remember forever. And it’s nice to have a photo to go along with it.