Clubs by Robert Beck

Clubs

Sports Feature, third prize singles

25-02-2009

Tiger Woods flips clubs with his caddie Steve Williams during practice at the Accenture Match Play Championship at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club in Marana, Arizona. It was Woods' first tournament after reconstructive surgery to his left knee.

Commissioned by: for Sports Illustrated

Location: Marana, Arizona, USA

Photo Credit: Robert Beck

In 1986, Robert Beck shot his first assignment for Sports Illustrated, the Ironman Triathlon in Hawaii. An image from that take became a spread in S.I and one of Life Magazine’s Pictures of the Decade. After the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, S.I made him a staffer. He has covered a lot of big events through those years.. The Masters, Super Bowls, The World Series, NBA Finals, Olympics, Stanley Cups and so on. But it is the one on one stuff that he enjoys the most. He has been lucky enough to work with some great people: Wayne Gretzky, Rod Laver, Karch Kiraly, Kelly Slater, Shaq, Tony Hawk, Shaun White, Pele, Brandi Chastain, Michelle Kwan, Tiger Woods, Emmit Smith, Dwight Howard, Wilt, Bill Russel, Monica Seles, Jimmie Johnson and Will Farrell, to name a few.

Working with those athletes among many others, is a perk that comes with the territory at Sports Illustrated. He honed his skills shooting action and features. He learned how to provide editors with interesting portraits, usually in a short time frame. Now he’s looking to spread his wings a bit more. The Magazine has loosened the rein and he has time to work on outside projects.