Who will be McIlroy’s next caddie?
Rory McIlory has kicked JP to the kerb, so to speak. So then the big question is: Who next to carry McIlroy’s bag – and make millions in the process?
If you were worried this question would keep you awake tonight, never fear. We’ve done the hard work for you.
Paddy Power have gone through the runners and riders and put up the odds. So let’s have a look at some of the leading contenders and assess their chances…
Harry Diamond 8/13
These are short odds on Rory’s best pal but given the ruthless fashion in which McIlroy dispatched JP – just a week after publicly bigging him up at the Open – young Harry (and you punters for that matter) might want to consider whether it’s all worth the risk.
Close player/caddie relationships are in vogue at the moment. DJ and Phil employ their brothers but will Harry want the job on a permanent basis?
Billy Foster 9/4
Interesting. Billy’s bagged for some of the best in the business – Darren Clarke and Sergio Garcia to name just two. Currently hawks Lee Westwood’s clubs around but neither are getting any younger.
The pair also took a break in 2012 after Billy suffered a nasty knee injury and, although tearfully reunited, old wounds might just run deep. This is not the silliest of picks.
Jim ‘Bones’ MacKay 9/2
Knowledgeable and available, after he and Phil parted ways, there will be plenty of punters swept along by this potential pairing. But Bones has only just got the gig at NBC and, having had some minor health concerns over recent months, does he really need the strain – or the stress – of dealing with this bundle of golfing energy?
Joe LaCava 7/1
Thought he’d landed THE job when replacing Steve Williams as Tiger Woods’ caddie, only for the GOAT’s game to end up as bad as his back.
Definitely the sort of figure McIlroy needs, with the experience to match, but you don’t dispense with Tiger’s services. That happens the other way round.
Mick Doran 10/1
Has a CV that’s a roll call of Europe’s best golfers. Francesco Molinari, Lee Westwood, Justin Rose, Thomas Bjorn, Darren Clarke – Mick’s got the t-shirt from nearly three decades in the caddie game. Knows his craft inside out and probably won’t be too fussed if it only lasts a year or two. Currently totes Luke Donald’s equipment around but if it’s a choice of former world number ones…
Ted Scott 16/1
Let’s swap one emotional boss for another. #PrayForTedScott appears all over Twitter every time Bubba threatens to throw a strop so at least he’ll be used to dealing with another potentially petulant child. Despite everything Bubba gives out – ‘water on the clubface, bro!’ – Ted seems incredibly loyal and it’ll be a surprise if he leaves him in the lurch.
The best of the rest…
Former One Direction singer Niall Horan is 100/1, Rory’s dad Gerry is 300/1, and Romeo from ‘Tin Cup’ is 500/1. Funny, but frighteningly low odds.
Tiger is also 300/1. Now you’re just being daft…
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Golfing world divided by news of McIlroy firing his caddie
Why McIlroy is right to change his caddie
Steve Carroll
A journalist for 25 years, Steve has been immersed in club golf for almost as long. A former club captain, he has passed the Level 3 Rules of Golf exam with distinction having attended the R&A's prestigious Tournament Administrators and Referees Seminar.
Steve has officiated at a host of high-profile tournaments, including Open Regional Qualifying, PGA Fourball Championship, English Men's Senior Amateur, and the North of England Amateur Championship. In 2023, he made his international debut as part of the team that refereed England vs Switzerland U16 girls.
A part of NCG's Top 100s panel, Steve has a particular love of links golf and is frantically trying to restore his single-figure handicap. He currently floats at around 11.
Steve plays at Close House, in Newcastle, and York GC, where he is a member of the club's matches and competitions committee and referees the annual 36-hole scratch York Rose Bowl.
Having studied history at Newcastle University, he became a journalist having passed his NTCJ exams at Darlington College of Technology.
What's in Steve's bag: TaylorMade Stealth 2 driver, 3-wood, and hybrids; TaylorMade Stealth 2 irons; TaylorMade Hi-Toe, Ping ChipR, Sik Putter.
