Rory McIlroy clearly made the right call to ignore golf fans after his 2024 US Open collapse

Photo by Ben Jared/PGA TOUR via Getty Images

Rory McIlroy is a major champion once again, battling hard to a fantastic victory at The Masters once again.

Making his victory at Augusta that bit more special was the presence of his parents, who missed his maiden green jacket success last year.

But there for both of his superb wins and indeed most of his other magical moments of late has been Harry Diamond.

The caddie has been with McIlroy through the good times and the bad, of which there have been many over the years.

It’s been a remarkable journey that perhaps neither could imagine would produce such success, with McIlroy clearly making an excellent choice when picking his caddie.

Rory McIlroy has made the right call to stick with Harry Diamond

It could have been very different for the six-time major champion, particularly had he listened to many golf fans in the summer of 2024.

McIlroy was in contention to win the US Open at Pinehurst that year, but suffered a late collapse to lose out to Bryson DeChambeau.

Bogeys in three of the last four holes proved very costly, but it was Diamond who received plenty of criticism in the immediate aftermath.

Fans and even members of the media took aim at the caddie, who McIlroy was quick to defend later that summer having not spoken to the press immediately after his Pinehurst heartache.

Amid calls for the pair to split, the golfing superstar would have never considered such a move, and that’s proven to be a fantastic decision.

Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images

Rory McIlroy and Harry Diamond are the ultimate player-caddie pairing

Helped so much by his caddie, McIlroy has achieved huge success in recent years, including two titles at The Masters.

It has been a match made in heaven, and it proves just how important it is for players to have a reliable and knowledgeable figure on the bag.

With plenty of near misses among the success, McIlroy and Diamond have faced their fair share of criticism over the years, but they’ve managed to stay strong and completely silence any doubters.

Their hugely successful relationship was just on show at the weekend, with McIlroy crediting Diamond for steadying him at Augusta after he blew his six-shot lead on day three.

The pair hit the range at Augusta amid swing struggles for the defending champion, who was then able to get back on track and grind out a performance worthy of winning The Masters.

Such a partnership should really inspire other players, with many of his rivals undergoing too many caddie changes.

Diamond also deserves huge praise for taking a backseat in the pairing, with his reserved demeanour allowing his close friend to take centre stage, which clearly works well.

Read more:

Michael Kim says if Rory McIlroy had an unfair advantage by getting to practice at Augusta so much

Gary Player reacts to Rory McIlroy winning The Masters for a second time and suggests how he felt watching it

The three biggest winners and losers from The Masters as Rory McIlroy defends his title