Who is Rory McIlroy’s caddie?

A talented golfer in his own right – his handicap is reportedly in ‘plus’ numbers – Diamond played junior golf with Rory at their home club, Holywood, in Northern Ireland.

The pair struck up a firm friendship, with Diamond invited to caddie for a 16-year-old McIlroy when he played in the 2005 Irish Open.

He was on the bag again for the Par-3 Tournament at the 2011 Masters, as well as for the 2014 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. Diamond was even on best man duty when McIlroy married Erica Stoll in 2017.

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Despite being good enough to have a crack at the pro game – he won the 2012 West of Ireland Championship, reached the final of the 2011 North of Ireland Championship, and represented Ireland at international level – Diamond opted to stay amateur and focus on his business interests.

He had been part of a family business which owns a chain of hotels, pubs and restaurants in Belfast and Bangor, until the opportunity arose to be Rory McIlroy’s caddie on tour.

The duo scored their first victory together at the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill in 2018, and have since racked up multiple titles on the PGA Tour and DP World Tour.

Helped by a victory at the Players Championship in 2019, Diamond guided McIlroy in his return to No.1 on the Official World Golf Ranking in October 2022, the first time he had been there since October 2020.

Despite some social media users suggesting he would have more major success with a different caddie on his bag, McIlroy has been steadfastly loyal to Diamond over the years.

After his near miss at the US Open in June 2024, McIlroy hit back at critics of his caddie Harry Diamond.

“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 said.

“These guys that criticise when things don’t go my way, they never say anything good when things do go my way.

“Where were they when I won Dubai earlier year, or Quail Hollow, or the two FedEx Cups that I’ve won with Harry, or the two Ryder Cups, or whatever? 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.”

McIlroy also leapt to Diamond’s defence after his win at the 2024 DP World Tour Championship, the DP World Tour’s season finale in Dubai.

“He gets his fair share of stick and it’s not warranted,” McIlroy said. “He’s an amazing caddie and the best friend I could ever ask for”