Rory McIlroy and Harry Diamond finally got their hands on the green jacket and The Masters trophy as the tournament finished in the most dramatic fashion possible.
McIlroy looked to have thrown things away but then managed to produce down the stretch to force a playoff with Justin Rose, who made ten birdies to reel McIlroy in.
For Rose, it was the second time he’d lose out in a Masters playoff but he did little wrong, with his playoff hole coming down to a missed putt from around 15 feet that just slipped by.
However, Rose wouldn’t have had the chance at the playoff at all had McIlroy not fluffed his lines from four feet on the final hole anyway.
McIlroy had a putt to win but left it low and left of the hole to go into the playoff.
But rather than panic, McIlroy has revealed that his best friend and caddy, Harry Diamond, had the perfect words for him.
Rory McIlroy shares what Harry Diamond told him on the 18th before his Masters playoff
Diamond has been with McIlroy for some time now and rather unfairly, he has come in for criticism over the years as McIlroy has seen majors slip him by.
However, on this occasion, it appears Diamond had just the right words for McIlroy when he needed them most.
In a post shared by PGA Tour staff writer Paul Hodowanic, McIlroy revealed the short statement Diamond made to him.
What Billy Foster said was the big problem for Harry Diamond in caddying for Rory McIlroy
If there’s one man who knows a thing or two about being a top caddie, it’s Billy Foster.
Foster has worked with some of the biggest names in golf and has only recently split from major winning PGA Tour player, Matt Fitzpatrick.
Indeed, back in 2024, Foster spoke of Diamond and pointed out the issue he had as McIlroy’s number two.
“There’s one thing I will say if I was caddying for Rory, and it’s he wouldn’t have finished second as many times as that. He’d have tied 18th with me caddying,” Foster said jokingly.
“Nah look, Harry (Diamond) is a good lad. He gets an unfair rap. The problem is, you see every shot Rory McIlroy hits. You don’t see Poulter, or Fitz or Ernie, you don’t see them do you?.”
“He’s a good player in his own right Harry and a nice kid and yeah he does get an unfair rap. And Rory’s there every week isn’t he? Unbelievable player. His time will come again.”
Now though, Diamond can firmly get that sort of noise away from him and it goes without saying that both he and McIlroy will be celebrating this one for some time.
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