Rory McIlroy’s caddy is different from other caddies.
McIlroy didn’t have a seasoned veteran with a knack for precise yardage and reading greens, but his childhood friend Harry Diamond.
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Diamond is an accomplished player in his own right. He represented Ireland internationally as a youngster and won the 2012 West of Ireland Championship. But he had limited caddying experience before being recruited by McIlroy in 2017.
He caddyed for McIlroy at the 2005 Irish Open, the 2011 Masters Par 3 Championship and the 2014 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, but he never served as a full-time pro.
The two have enjoyed success together, with their biggest achievement being victory at last year’s Masters, but the relationship has also attracted plenty of criticism. The situation came to a head after McIlroy ultimately collapsed due to some questionable club choices at the 2024 U.S. Open.
That criticism died down as McIlroy completed his career Grand Slam, but his recent comments suggest his caddy is preventing the Northern Irishman from competing with Scottie Scheffler.
Photo by Jed Jacobson/Getty Images
Rory McIlroy says his reading of greens cost him at Riviera
Diamond was often criticized for being a less than outspoken caddy, failing to step in at critical moments and correct McIlroy’s mistakes before they happened. So unlike many of the game’s top players, McIlroy’s green reads aren’t much of a collaborative effort.
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The situation came to light last week. McIlroy came within one stroke of winning the Genesis Invitational for the second time this season on the PGA Tour, but his performance on the greens cost him the title shot against Jacob Bridgeman.
He admitted as much after the round: “Once I started to kind of trust my backside readings
Nine, I followed my first instinct more and I putted a little better.
“I was reading them too much, and then I saw Jacob do something with the putt from the other side and I was like, oh, it looks like it’s further left than he thought it was, so I kind of took that into account.
“I almost just, yeah, gave them too many ideas and not followed my first instinct, and I feel like that cost me.”
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The job of an elite caddy is to recognize the middle of the round and step in before McIlroy is out of contention, but Diamond didn’t. By the time McIlroy figured out his reading, it was too late.
Imagine what would have happened if McIlroy had someone like Scheffler’s caddy Ted Scott on his bag during the Genesis Invitational. It’s hard to imagine he wouldn’t win.
How Ted Scott saved Scottie Scheffler’s putt at the Paris Olympics
Scheffler is the undisputed No. 1 player in golf. He’s a four-time Grand Slam champion and Olympic gold medalist, but by his own admission, there’s no way he’s going to be without Scott in his bag.
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While Scheffler’s hitting is among the best ever, his putting has historically been his Achilles’ heel. That narrative reached a crescendo ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics, where Scheffler seemed to stall in the first two rounds.
However, a crucial mid-match intervention from his caddy effectively saved his week and paved the way for gold.
Scheffler explained in an interview with Pardon My Take 2025, “It was a great example of last year at the Olympics, where I was struggling on the greens, but we made the turn on Sunday. I missed another easy birdie putt on No. 9, and all of a sudden, the game got away from me.”
“I can say I’m out of medal contention now and I looked at Teddy and I was like I don’t know what I’m doing here. He was like asking me to read some putts, so he started reading my putts for the whole back nine on Sunday in Paris and I basically did everything and we played great and ended up winning the gold medal.
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“We walked off the course after the game and I said to Teddy, I really don’t think I could win this golf tournament without you in my bag. I don’t think there’s a way I could do it. That was a really cool moment for us.
“In golf, Teddy is a big part of what we do, but I think sometimes in golf we get so caught up in what we do, but Teddy is a big part of what we do, and it’s really cool to be able to share this medal with him and say I really couldn’t have done this without you in my bag.”
Scheffler started the day four strokes behind, but shot a historic 9-under 62 to tie the course record. The back nine was a masterpiece of clutch putts, with Scott and Scheffler in lockstep as Scottie birdied six of the final nine holes, including four in a row from the 14th to the 17th.
None of this would be possible without the Green Reading Master on the bag.
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Much of McIlroy’s early career success was due to the support of veteran caddy JP Fitzgerald, who helped him to four major wins before being fired in 2017. So if McIlroy wants to reach Scheffler’s level, it’s time for another change.
