Rory McIlroy will be hopeful of winning The Open Championship for the second time this week.
The Open is in Northern Ireland at Royal Portrush this week, and McIlroy will obviously be a huge fan favourite.
McIlroy said he circled The Open on his calendar at the start of the year as the one that he really wanted to win.
Since then, he managed to win The Masters, completing the Grand Slam in the process.
However, the 36-year-old has struggled somewhat since then. McIlroy admitted that he has lacked motivation since winning The Masters, but he does seem more like his old self since returning to Britain.
And McIlroy seemed to be in fine spirits during a practice round at Royal Portrush on Monday.
Truth about Rory McIlroy’s caddie Harry Diamond becomes clear after Open practice round
McIlroy was first out on the links at Portrush on Monday.
The first practice round of the week is always about gathering information, especially in and around the greens.
Harry Diamond has a key role to play in the build-ups to major championships, with the onus very much on him to provide McIlroy with a detailed blueprint for the best way to attack the golf course at hand.
And McIlroy’s caddie completely debunked one myth on Monday at Portrush.
In a behind-the-scenes video posted on the R&A’s official YouTube account, McIlroy and Diamond were seen discussing whether to add a 2-iron or a 3-iron to his bag for the week at Royal Portrush.
Diamond was seen insisting that McIlroy should use a 3-iron this week because a 2-iron will go the same distance as his 3-wood.
McIlroy’s caddie was seen saying to him, ‘what’s the point in having two clubs that go the same distance’?
Diamond has been criticised in the past for failing to give McIlroy his honest opinion, and he has been accused of being a ‘yes man’.
However, it’s very clear to see now that that is in fact not the case at all.
Rory McIlroy’s wins with Harry Diamond on the bag
Before Diamond took over as McIlroy’s caddie, the now five-time major champion had won 13 PGA Tour events and 13 DP World Tour titles.
And McIlroy has won a further 16 PGA Tour events and six DP World Tour titles since Diamond began caddying for him in 2017.
He has competed on three Ryder Cup teams during that period as well.
It only took seven months for the pair to get their first win together, with McIlroy triumphing at the Arnold Palmer invitational in March 2018.
However, the Northern Irishman had to wait until April 2025 to win his first major with Diamond on the bag.
Diamond has received his fair share of criticism since taking McIlroy’s bag, especially in the early days.
However, he has proven himself to be an elite caddie this season, and the short video captured above proves once and for all that he is far from a ‘yes man’.
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