Who is Rory McIlroy’s caddie? Meet Harry Diamond
Who is Harry Diamond, the man who has been on Rory McIlroy’s bag since 2017?
The news that Rory McIlroy had split with JP Fitzgerald after nine years on the bag didn’t come as a surprise to many golfing experts and fans across the globe.
So who is Rory McIlroy’s caddie, Harry Diamond? Let’s get to know him the looper of the four-time major champion.
Who is Rory McIlroy’s caddie?
Like McIlroy, Harry Diamond grew up in Holywood, Northern Ireland. The pair met at Holywood Golf Club and have remained close friends ever since, so close that Diamond was McIlroy’s best man when he married Erica Stoll in 2017.
Diamond was a promising golfer in his youth, representing Ireland as a teenager and winning the 2012 West of Ireland Championship which earned him a spot in the Irish Open that year. Here, the Northern Irishman would miss the cut at Royal Portrush after rounds of 77 and 74.
Despite toying with the idea of turning professional, Diamond ultimately opted not to pursue the career further, instead turning the world of business management. Diamond would eventually run and own many businesses including several bars and hotels.
Diamond remains a plus-handicap golfer, and caddied for McIlroy on three separate occasions before taking the bag full-time. This included a practice round at the 2005 Irish Open, at the 2011 Masters par-3 tournament, and the 2014 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.
Caddie duties
McIlroy would turn to Diamond once again when the PGA Tour star split with long-term caddie JP Fitzgerald ahead of the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational in 2017.
Initially thought of as just a short-term partnership, McIlroy and Diamond struck up a perfect on-course relationship, and McIlroy has stuck with him ever since.
Even during McIlroy’s most difficult periods on the course, the four-time major winner has hailed Diamond as the person he can take his frustrations out on. The two clearly share a special bond, one which extends further than the course.
“I was an only child and Harry was a big brother,” McIlroy once said in an interview. “We’re very close. I love having him on the bag. I’m a different person. And I’m never going to give him s**t even if something goes wrong. It would not be worth it.”
It was in 2021 when Diamond had arguably his greatest moment. When McIlroy was seemingly sailing to victory at the Wells Fargo Championship in May, it was caddie Harry who stepped up and told McIlroy the best shot to take.
After McIlroy hooked his tee shot wide into the deep rough, Diamond told McIlroy to take a drop instead of trying to hack the ball back into the fairway.
“Harry was awesome out there today,” McIlroy said after the victory. “Especially that decision on the last.”
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Matt Chivers
Now on the wrong side of 25, Matt has been playing golf since the age of 13 and was largely inspired to take up the game by countless family members who played golf during his childhood.
Matt is a member at Royal Cinque Ports in Deal playing off a 5 handicap, just a pitching wedge away from his hometown of Dover where he went to school and grew up. He has previously been a member at Etchinghill and Walmer and Kingsdown in Kent.
Having studied history at the University of Liverpool, Matt went on to pass his NCTJ Exams in Manchester a year later to fulfil his lifelong ambition of becoming a journalist. He picked up work experience along the way at places such as the Racing Post, the Independent, Sportsbeat and the Lancashire Evening Post.
Matt joined NCG in February 2023 and is the website’s main source of tour news, features and opinion. He has reported live from events such as The Open, the Ryder Cup and The Players Championship, having also interviewed and spent time with some of the biggest names in the sport.
Consuming tour golf on what is a 24/7 basis, you can come to Matt for informed views on the game and the latest updates on the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, LPGA Tour, Ladies European Tour and LIV Golf.
What’s in Matt’s bag: Cobra LTDx LS driver, Cobra LTDx 3-wood, TaylorMade P7MC irons, Ping Glide 4.0 wedges, Odyssey putter.
