AUGUSTA, Ga. — AP photographer Matt Slocum knows his way around the bucolic Augusta National Golf Club during the week of the Masters — it’s a difficult task with all the regulations that help preserve the aura of the tournament. So, when he saw the light and clouds combining for a perfect backdrop, he knew exactly where he should go to take some tee shots. He also knew how to stay ahead of the patrons to get to his perfect spot. Here’s what he had to say about making this extraordinary image.
Augusta, GA
AP photographer gets in the right spot for a big swing at the Masters
The Masters is one of the most revered tournaments of professional golf — it’s also one of the toughest for photographers and golfers. One of golf’s four majors, it’s full of history and tradition; rules and etiquette; joy and pain for both us and them.
Photographers are not allowed “inside the ropes” at the Masters — patrons are kept from the playing areas such as fairways and greens by ropes that mark the course. Being on the players’ side of the ropes give photographers better sight lines and ease of movement. But The Associated Press is lucky to have a good mix of photographers and editors onsite to help cover the tournament. We work together under the direction of David J. Phillip. With his vast Masters knowledge and experience, he guides us around the course as the day progresses and golfers charge up the leaderboard. Teamwork and communication are vital when covering this tournament. It’s tough to navigate the course quickly. You learn the hard way which crosswalks to avoid at peak times. Photographers that work together and are organized will have more success and less frustration overall.
Because we are not allowed inside the ropes, we tend to camp out at strategic spots and then leapfrog around before the crowds get too big. There are a few tee boxes that have access from behind. Patrons at the Masters are very polite and helpful when asked if we can kneel in front of them to get a key shot. By staying low, we don’t block them, and it allows us to emphasize the golfer and clean up the background. Once you find an area or light that is productive, you tend to work it, group after group to make scenic photos. You can vary the exposure and lens you use to add variety — wide, normal and telephoto.
In this case, golfers were teeing off toward the back of the box. I carried a fast, moderate-wide angle lens, a Sony 35mm F/1.4 GM and a Sony A1 mirrorless camera in anticipation of making this kind of photo. We are very lucky Sony is onsite to clean, repair and loan equipment. Not that I ever break anything, but many thanks to Van Nguyen, for replacing something I might have broken. I was shooting on a nearby hole when the clouds started to break and the blue sky appeared. This was my 14th Masters; I knew where to go in my area to line up a golfer with the sky.
I set my camera with the lowest native ISO, 100, to emphasize the dramatic sky. As golfer Rory McIlroy walked up the tee, I placed the camera very low and tried to keep him centered among the trees lining the hole. I just about always shoot at the widest aperture available, in this case F/1.4, to keep the emphasis on McIlroy. I was hunched way over on my knees, straining see the built-in level on the back of the screen. The camera was set to its fastest frame rate, 30 frames per second. I set the fastest shutter speed, 1/32,000th, to freeze all movement. I held the shutter release down for less than a second and made 22 crooked frames of the swing sequence. I picked a few visually pleasing moments to send to my editors Chris Carlson and Darron Cummings. It’s not obnoxiously crooked and has a nice feel, but it’s not perfect. “You can do better,” I hear from a ghost my head.
This photo is unique because of the clouds. There was a storm that delayed the start of the tournament that morning. It was dark and grey for most of the day. The shallow depth of field helps keep your eye focused on Rory. Using a very fast shutter speed helps make the bright areas of the image darker. It brings out the clouds, knocks down the crowd and freezes the golfer’s club at the top of his swing. The clouds are still breaking, framing the golfer and starting to add light on his swing.
For more extraordinary AP photography, click here.
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Newly obtained records show the Georgia Peace Officer Standards & Training Council moved to revoke the certifications of eight Richmond County school police officers tied to an online training cheating scandal.
It’s a case investigators described as involving shared answer keys, deleted group texts and a department culture where some officers said cheating had become routine.
POST opened the investigation around Sept. 3, 2024, after allegations that Richmond County Board of Education Police Department officers cheated on online training courses for which they received POST credit.
The two courses identified in the file were Introduction to Human Trafficking and De-escalation for Law Enforcement, administered online through Virtual Academy. The core allegation is that officers shared screenshots/test answers in a group text so others could complete required online training faster.
Our previous reporting showed the case had grown to nine officers, with Officer Tajuana Jones receiving 24 months of probation and being ordered to take an ethics and professionalism course, while the remaining cases were still open because the officers had requested hearings.
POST records appear to show the next step: for eight officers — Dorothy Holmon, Kara Anderson, Anthony Dubois, Brian Jackson, Wallace Lebrane, Kellie Holland, Jacquez Williams and Nathan Mercer — the POST Probable Cause Committee recommended revocation, and the full council accepted those recommendations in June 2026.
According to the file, the Board of Education hired a third party entity to investigate. That investigation found Sgt. Dorothy Holmon and Cpl. Kara Anderson shared test answers. Officers identified as being in the group text and receiving answers included Brian Jackson, Jacquez Williams, Anthony Dubois, Wallace Lebrane and Kellie Holland.
POST also noted a limitation: there were other phone numbers in the group text, but the group had been deleted or disbanded before POST started investigating, preventing investigators from identifying every number
They have 30 days to file a formal appeal. The process requires submitting a written request for a pre-hearing conference or administrative hearing, a notarized written response to the allegations, and a required administrative fee.
The school system said it couldn’t comment because this is an active personnel matter.
The officers
Dorothy Holmon
• POST paints Holmon as one of the central figures. She admitted taking screenshots of test questions and answers and sending them to subordinates in a group text, and she described what she called a “culture of cheating” going back to 2000. POST says she also encouraged subordinates to go ahead and take the tests after sending the answers. The PCC recommended revocation, and the Full Council accepted it
Kara Anderson
• Anderson also admitted supplying test answers to the group text and acknowledged she knew it was wrong. She told POST her motivation was to get mandatory training completed quickly because of staffing issues. The PCC recommended revocation, and the Full Council accepted it
Anthony Dubois
• Dubois admitted receiving the group text and using the information to check his answers before submitting his test. He also described a broader culture of cheating in the department. POST records say his test score matched Holmon’s and that he missed the same questions. PCC recommendation: revocation. Full Council: accepted
Jacquez Williams
• Williams admitted receiving answer-key screenshots from Holmon and Anderson and admitted using them to complete his Virtual Academy testing. He also admitted he did not report the cheating up the chain of command. PCC recommendation: revocation. Full Council: accepted
Wallace Lebrane
• Lebrane admitted receiving a text from Holmon containing test answers and acknowledged it with blue-heart emojis, according to POST. He denied using the answers, but POST noted his test results matched Holmon’s, including missed questions. PCC recommendation: revocation. Full Council: accepted
Brian Jackson
• Jackson admitted receiving a group text from Holmon containing test answers but said he did not use them and did not take the tests at issue. POST’s concern appears to be that he did not report the message, despite being a supervisor. PCC recommendation: revocation. Full Council: accepted
Kellie Holland
• Holland admitted receiving a group text from Holmon but said the image was blurry and that she did not report it. POST records also say she admitted receiving answers for required Board of Education “GCN” testing from teachers. PCC recommendation: revocation. Full Council: accepted
Nathan Mercer
• Mercer’s case is different from the group-text cases. The file focuses on statements about whether Holmon was going to help him with a test tied to University of Georgia football special-duty work, and whether his account conflicted with statements from other officers. PCC recommendation: revocation. Full Council: accepted
Tajuana Jones
• Jones was covered in a March story. POST records at that time showed she received 24 months of probation, had to complete an ethics and professionalism course, and was accused of receiving answers but not reporting the misconduct.
Copyright 2026 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – The South Augusta YMCA will not renew its lease at the Tobacco Road location, the Y confirmed.
The shopping center is being sold, and the current lease ends in October.
The Y has not announced a final day at the current location. Officials said they plan to announce that date and next steps for South Augusta later this month.
The YMCA said it still plans to serve South Augusta after the lease expires.
Copyright 2026 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – A man who was previously wanted for questioning in an Augusta deadly shooting has now been charged with murder in the case, according to authorities.
The Richmond County Sheriff’s Office says Kemfton Quewanaki Kenon, 27, was arrested on Friday in connection to the shooting death of Khyla Rodriguez, of Augusta.
Kenon is booked into the Charles B. Webster Detention Center and charged with murder and possession of a firearm during a crime, according to jail bookings.
Rodriguez, 25, was found dead after deputies received a call about a shooting on May 15 at 1:11 a.m. on Cameron Drive.
The Richmond County Coroner’s Office said Rodriguez was pronounced dead at 2:27 a.m.
Kenon was previously wanted for questioning in the case and was located in Miami-Dade County, Florida. He was interviewed and arrested on an unrelated warrant.
Deputies were also interviewed two other subjects in the case. They were not arrested in the case.
Copyright 2026 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
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