‘This one is his’: Rory McIlroy praises caddie’s Masters-winning advice

Rory McIlroy conquered his Masters struggles on Sunday with his first green jacket win. It was a historic victory for many reasons, one of them being that it was McIlroy’s first major with lifelong friend and caddie Harry Diamond on the bag. Sunday night, McIlroy got emotional talking about Diamond’s essential role in his career and life, and he also pointed out one piece of advice his caddie gave him in a crucial moment that helped him win.

Before you go any further, I highly recommend you read GOLF senior writer Dylan Dethier’s feature story on McIlroy and Diamond’s relationship and Masters experience, filed from Augusta National’s grounds Sunday night.

For a brief synopsis on McIlroy’s comments about Diamond after his Masters victory, keep reading.

Rory defends caddie after Masters win

Understandably, McIlroy got emotional frequently following his long-awaited and dramatic victory Sunday evening.

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But during his post-win press conference in the Masters media center, it was the topic of his caddie that brought him to tears.

“I’ve known Harry [Diamond] since I was seven years old. I met him on the putting green at Holywood Golf Club. We’ve had so many good times together,” McIlroy said, with tears growing in his eyes, “He’s been like a big brother to me the whole way through my life.”

Then McIlroy explained that this win alongside Diamond was all the more meaningful given the criticism Diamond has faced for his relative inexperience as a pro caddie, and that McIlroy has faced for sticking with a friend over a Tour looper.

“To be able to share this with him after all the close calls that we’ve had, all the crap 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,” McIlroy said.

He continued, “[Diamond] is a massive part of what I do, and I couldn’t think of anyone better to share it with than him.”

Watch the moment below.

McIlroy’s caddie gives Masters-winning advice

It turns out that Diamond played a very specific and crucial role in one big Masters Sunday moment, one that may have led to McIlroy’s victory.

When McIlroy missed a five-foot putt to win on the 18th hole Sunday evening, few could envision the perfect performance he would deliver on the same hole in the playoff.

Such a devastating miss, following multiple previous mini-collapses during the round, would have meant the end for most golfers.

And McIlroy was certainly reeling in the moment. That is, until Diamond offered up some advice before they set off in the playoff.

“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,'” McIlroy revealed Sunday night. “I’m like, ‘Yeah, absolutely we would have.'”

And that simple message re-focused Rory’s mind on the task at hand, allowing him to pull off the victory moments later.

“That was an easy reset. He basically said to me, look, you would have given your right arm to be in a playoff at the start of the week,” McIlroy added, “So that sort of reframed it a little bit for me.”