Rory McIlroy’s caddie Harry Diamond has been a constant presence by his side since 2017, but the appointment came amid controversy
12:06, 14 Apr 2026Updated 12:08, 14 Apr 2026
Rory McIlroy’s best friend and caddie, Harry Diamond, has been through his own share of trials and tribulations over the years(Image: Augusta National, Augusta National/Getty Images)
Rory McIlroy had a whole host of supporters during his extraordinary weekend at Augusta National, but one individual proved more crucial than any other to his Masters triumph. A golfer’s bond with his caddie runs deep, yet McIlroy had greater reason than most to express gratitude after holing the decisive putt to fend off Scottie Scheffler.
Though Harry Diamond has been alongside McIlroy on the golf course since being brought on board in 2017, their connection stretches back much further. The two first crossed paths at Holywood Golf Club in Northern Ireland, where they were both exceptionally gifted youngsters with promising careers ahead of them.
While not quite matching McIlroy’s standard, Diamond is an accomplished golfer in his own right. Competing as an amateur, he claimed the 2012 West of Ireland tournament to secure his place at the Irish Open.
Eventually, he chose to step away from competitive play to help his close mate chase his ambitions on the golf course. And following the historic scenes in Georgia over the weekend, it has proved an incredibly shrewd (and lucrative) choice.
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Wife and private life
Harry was once engaged to Irish designer Katie Larmour, with whom he shared a five-year romance. Harry’s romantic journey mirrored Rory’s during his twenties, with the couple becoming engaged in Paris during October 2013, just two months before McIlroy’s proposal to then-partner Caroline Wozniacki.
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However, Rory called off his engagement the following year, with Harry and Katie separating themselves shortly after. Nowadays, Harry keeps his personal life largely private with limited details regarding his romantic endeavours.
In 2019, another of McIlroy’s friends, Niall O’Connor, temporarily assumed caddying responsibilities at the DP World Championship in Dubai while Harry was reportedly expecting his first child with his wife. Niall stepped in once more at the 2022 RBC Canadian Open due to Harry and his wife reportedly welcoming their second child.
Huge payday
McIlroy’s second Masters victory was about fully vindicating his first Augusta win and becoming just the third golfer to successfully retain the crown. However, the monetary rewards are a welcome by-product of his triumph.
The win handed McIlroy a cheque for £3.3million, with 10 per cent of that heading straight to his caddie. That amounts to a handsome £330,000 or so for Diamond, who is unsurprisingly among the wealthiest bag carriers on the PGA Tour off the back of McIlroy’s achievements, with an estimated net worth of around £2.5m.
Diamond has helped McIlroy to huge success since becoming his caddie in 2017(Image: Hector Vivas/Getty Images)
The pair shared a heartfelt embrace on the green after McIlroy holed the winning putt. Their close bond was plain to see when the Northern Irishman addressed the media shortly after his 2025 Masters win.
“I’ve known Harry since I was seven years old,” said an emotional McIlroy at the time. “I met him on the putting green at Holywood Golf Club. We’ve had so many good times together. He’s been like a big brother to me the whole way through my life.
“To be able to share this with him after all the close calls that we’ve had, all the c*** that he’s had to take from people that don’t know anything about the game, yeah, this one is just as much his as it is mine. He’s a massive part of what I do, and I couldn’t think of anyone better to share it with than him.”
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Split with bagman
Despite their longstanding friendship, Diamond hasn’t always been the man carrying McIlroy’s bag. He only took on the role after McIlroy parted company with seasoned caddie JP Fitzgerald following the 2017 Open Championship.
McIlroy and Fitzgerald had claimed 13 titles together, and the choice to replace him with a close friend was not exactly met with open arms by many former players and pundits. Diamond served as best man at McIlroy’s wedding in 2018, and, to many observers, it appeared as though McIlroy was prioritising comfort over finding someone who might push him harder.
Tiger Woods‘ former coach, Hank Haney, and commentator Smylie Kaufman were among those to air their reservations, particularly following a string of high-profile errors from McIlroy. The general consensus was that Diamond wasn’t assertive enough and simply let his mate take unnecessary risks without sufficient input on the course.
McIlroy’s decision to split from former caddie JP Fitzgerald drew ire from some(Image: Andrew Redington)
Such criticism has clearly got under McIlroy’s skin, forcing him to publicly defend his caddie. Diamond himself has chosen to keep a low profile by declining all media requests.
“Just because Harry is not as vocal or loud with his words as other caddies, it doesn’t mean that he doesn’t say anything and that he doesn’t do anything,” McIlroy explained in the past.
“They are never there to say Harry did such a great job when I win, but they are always there to criticise when we don’t win. He’s been with me every step of the way for the last seven years now. He gets his fair share of stick, and it’s not warranted.”
Double standards
The Masters triumphs of the past 12 months will feel like vindication for McIlroy, who used his 2025 press conference to detail crucial moments when Diamond stepped in. Above all else, his mate keeps him composed on the course, and they’ve now racked up 21 tournament victories together.
“After scoring, Harry and I were walking to the golf cart to bring us back to the 18th tee, and he said to me, ‘Well, pal, we would have taken this on Monday morning,'” said McIlroy at Augusta last year. “I’m like, ‘Yeah, absolutely we would have.’ That was an easy reset.”
For 2019 Open champion Shane Lowry, the criticism has always been unjustified and hypocritical: “[McIlroy’s] the greatest golfer of our generation, and I don’t think he gets any leeway at all.
Another of McIlroy’s close friends, Shane Lowry, has lambasted the criticism Diamond receives(Image: Megan Briggs/TGL, TGL Golf via Getty Images)
“And some of the s*** Harry gets off the back of it, now that really does my head in. Dustin Johnson had his brother caddying for him for 10 years, and nobody said anything; other players have had the same caddie for 15 years, but everything Rory does is scrutinised.
“To be honest, there is no caddie in the world that would be better for Rory than Harry Diamond. Harry is always there a day before Rory. He’s always walking the course and doing his work. And I see it, but these guys sitting there on their stupid podcasts don’t see it.”
Jason Day, who finished tied for 12th at Augusta this year, can also relate to Diamond’s situation. He himself brought on board a childhood friend, Luke Reardon, just a month after McIlroy appointed Diamond.
“Harry is an incredible caddie,” said Day in 2025. “Harry is a tremendous caddie, and he works as hard as any caddie out there. I don’t understand how anyone could question his ability on the bag and, as a player on tour, I’ve never even thought about it. He’s just a great caddie.”