It has been a decade since Rory McIlroy won his last major! The 35-year-old lifted the Wanamaker Trophy back in 2014, defeating Phil Mickelson by one stroke. However, he came very close to lifting the trophy at the US Open last month but ended up carding three bogeys on the last four holes. The opportunity slipped away and he lost to Bryson DeChambeau by one stroke.

As McIlroy hit a 7-iron on the 15th hole, Hank Haney criticized his caddie, Harry Diamond, for not giving him an 8-iron, which would have been more appropriate for the shot. Adding to the criticism, even Tiger Woods and Smylie Kaufman had the same thing to say. However, McIlroy’s former coach, Pete Cowen, seems to have a different take on this.

Pete Cowen on Rory McIlroy’s incomplete Grand Slam

Rory McIlroy is yet to receive the Grand Slam, and he is just one Masters win away from doing so. There has been a lot of pressure on him, and according to Pete Cowen, it is catching up with him. “That’s almost all he’s thinking about between now and next April which is sad really because the other tournaments deserve the great players to keep playing,” said the former coach. McIlroy even missed the cut at the Open this month, which paints a bleak major picture for the Northern Irishman and solidifies Cowen’s stance.

In a recent interview with Bunkered Golf, Cowen reflected on how everybody often says that the Augusta National Golf Course suits Rory McIlroy. However, it’s the long gap between winning a major that weighs in on him. “You get a good break and all of a sudden you could win two or three in a row like Xander, but it gets harder. He wins big tournaments in any case,” he added.

While a lot of people who haven’t even worked with World No. 3 blamed his caddie for not being able to give him the perfect assistance, Cowen had a different perspective. Having worked with the 26-time PGA Tour winner for eight months, he has been following the 35-year-old’s statistics closely. “Harry is a great lad and a good caddie. He’s not hitting the shots. The responsibility comes down to the player all the time. It has to be, and the player has to take responsibility. That’s what it is really.”

It was not just Pete Cowen who defended Harry Diamond from the criticism made against him. Rory McIlroy himself knew that the accusations made no sense. As a result of this, he even publicly took a stand for his caddie.

Rory McIlroy seizes the opportunity to defend Harry Diamond in the aftermath of Pinehurst

Rory McIlroy and Harry Diamond have been best friends since school. They have won six titles together, and McIlroy trusts him with his bag. It’s not the first time Diamond has been at the end of scrutiny and criticism for Rory’s lackluster performance. This happened back in 2021 as well, when he received backlash for McIlroy’s slump. At the US Open post-tournament presser, the Ulsterman had the opportunity to defend his looper against all the assertions, and well, he grabbed it.

Rory McIlroy reminded people about the wins that the duo have grabbed together and asked why they did not compliment his bagman, then he said, “They are not there. They are not the ones hitting the shots and ­making the decisions. Someone said to me once: ‘If you would never take advice from these people, you should never take their criticisms either.’ I certainly wouldn’t go to Hank Haney for advice. I love Smylie, but I think I know what I’m doing and so does Harry.”

Do you think Harry Diamond could have done a better job at Pinehurst No. 2 and given McIlory his win? Let us know in the comments section below!