The 2025 Genesis Invitational didn’t showcase McIlroy at his finest, particularly as it took place during a spell when his putting was far from being up to scratch. During the final round, he fluffed a 10-foot attempt on the third hole, which led to a spectator giving his two cents on the matter. The onlooker reportedly directed McIlroy’s attention toward caddie Harry Diamond and said the Grand Slam-winner “should blame” his No. 2. However, that didn’t sit right with the 36-year-old, who delivered a cutting retort in response.
“Shut the f*** up,” came McIlroy’s reply, according to several accounts of the incident in California. And it served to illustrate just how much the veteran values his close connections, even if his game wasn’t ticking all the boxes at that time.
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Former golf prospect Diamond was a promising talent in his own right once upon a time and even competed at the Irish Open himself. However, he eventually put his own course aspirations to one side after he started to caddie for McIlroy in 2017.
As childhood friends, one might expect McIlroy to stand up for such an intimate member of his entourage. On the other hand, caddies can often feel the brunt of player frustrations, almost more so when they have a bond that reaches beyond the fairway.
At the time of the Genesis incident, Hank Haney suggested Diamond was at least partly to blame for certain misjudgements in McIlroy’s game. And Tiger Woods’ former coach named one example who would have given McIlroy more of an edge.
“If [Woods’ ex-caddie] Steve Williams was Rory’s caddie I can promise you he would have never hit a perfect flighted 7 iron that rolled over the green on 15 into a terrible lie,” said Haney. “Because he would have hit an 8 iron and sent it straight up in the air and held the green. Wrong club, wrong shot, bad plan.”
The relationship between golfer and caddie is a sacred but precarious one. The chemistry needs to be good enough that the ‘assistant’ feels comfortable in voicing their honest opinions, but the golfer must also trust their gut to some extent, too.
In any case, the partnership between Diamond and McIlroy has proved itself the real deal once more regardless. In addition to finally ending his wait for the Masters title last year, McIlroy also played a crucial role in taking Team Europe to Ryder Cup glory in the United States.
The credit can’t go solely to him, however, as Diamond undoubtedly played his role in the most lucrative year of McIlroy’s career to date. And there’s one spectator at last year’s Genesis who may think twice before telling a golf icon his business again in future.