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USA Today via Reuters

USA Today via Reuters

Rory McIlroy started his year with a win! The Irish golfer pulled off a magnificent performance in Dubai and clinched the Hero Dubai Desert Classic title. Along with the trophy, he took home a whopping $1,530,000 of the total prize purse! It was his fourth time winning the competition, and his caddie had a major role in it.

The caddie of the 24-time PGA Tour winner is also his best friend. This bond outside of golf helps a lot on the golf course. With the Irish golfer now aiming for the Masters at Augusta National, his friend-cum-caddie will play a crucial role. Let’s take a look at McIlroy’s caddie, who also deserves the utmost appreciation.

Who’s the caddie working alongside Rory McIlroy?

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Rory McIlroy’s current caddie is his longtime buddy, Harry Diamond. The 39-year-old Diamond made his first appearance as the looper of the 24-time PGA Champ on the greens of the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational in 2017.

via Reuters

 

The looper’s and the golfer’s friendship traces back to their childhood, as both of the Northern Irishmen were born and brought up in Holywood, County Down, Northern Ireland. The two have known each other their whole lives; they played golf at the same golf club growing up. Outside the golf course, the two are best friends, with Diamond playing the role of best man at McIlroy’s wedding to Erica Stoll.

In addition to being the caddie for McIlroy, Diamond is an excellent golfer. He had a great amateur career and had bagged wins at prestigious events like the West of Ireland Amateur Open Championship, showing his golfing prowess. Though the Holywood native had a flourishing amateur golfing career, the 39-year-old chose a different route and followed his other passion—entrepreneurship. His family owns multiple bars, restaurants, and hotels across Belfast.

But Diamond returned to the gentleman’s game in order to assist his childhood friend on the greens. Even the Irish golfer praises his bagman for his input during the game. When McIlroy won the 2021 Wells Fargo Championship, he credited his caddie for the 72nd hole.

Read More: “F**K Rory”: Rory McIlroy Gets Brutally Daggered by Former Ryder Cup Comrade, Taunting His ‘Selfish’ PGA Tour Legacy

The 34-year-old was looking to take a risky shot, but his bagman convinced him to drop instead. While this shows the two of them have great coordination on the golf course, people still have pointed fingers.

Who was McIlroy’s caddie before his childhood friend?

The reason people are criticizing the pair is due to the fact that McIlroy’s last major championship victory came in 2014. Before Diamond, McIlroy had the support of J.P. Fitzgerald as a caddie since the time he turned pro. Fitzgerald is a veteran in his field and was present for many of his major championship wins.

But the two decided to part ways in 2017, and McIlroy’s childhood friend Harry Diamond took the bag. Many considered it to be a short-term collaboration, thinking the Irish golfer would soon switch to an experienced bagman. Proving everyone wrong, the two have been together ever since.

 

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However, for a short period, another childhood friend of McIlroy took the responsibility. During the RBC Canadian Open 2022, Diamond was expecting a second child with his wife. Niall O’Connor took on the role of the Irish golfer’s bagman in Diamond’s absence. O’Connor has also assisted McIlroy at the 2019 DP World Championship in Dubai. The pair won the RBC Canadian Open together too.

How much does Rory McIlroy’s caddie make?

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Despite McIlroy’s last major win coming in 2014, the Irish golfer has won his fair share of events since Diamond joined. For the uninitiated, the caddies receive 10% of the paycheck for a golfer’s win, 7% for a top-10 finish, and 5% for other results. And since Diamond became his bagman, McIlroy has won two FedEx Cups, the Ryder Cup in 2018, the Hero Dubai Desert Classic in 2023 and 2024, and multiple PGA Tour events.

USA Today via Reuters

This means the bagman has earned well over millions every year. Since teaming up in August 2017, Diamond has raked in over $35 million in prize money. While working with the Irish golfer pays well, Diamond also has multiple businesses generating revenue. So his net worth will be hard to find.

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On the family side, Diamond is married to Katie Larmour and has two kids, Finn and Axel. With a loving family and working alongside his childhood friend, Harry Diamond has a blissful career. The only thing remaining for Diamond and McIlroy is a Major win together.

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