McIlroy: I sacked JP because I like him!
Rory McIlroy’s relationship with his caddie JP Fitzgerald had reached such a boiling point he feared it would ruin their personal friendship unless they called it a day.
speaking for the first time about the split that shocked the golf world on Monday, McIlroy admitted it was something that had been brewing all summer.
‘I was very hard on him and didn’t want it to get to the point where I started to treat him badly,’ said McIlroy. ‘Players and caddies always have their ups and downs, but I felt we were having a few too many this year.
‘sometimes you have to sacrifice a professional relationship to keep a personal one and I felt it was the right thing to do.’
Much of the surprise came in the timing, as McIlroy looks forward to two events — the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational in ohio which begins today, and the Us PGA Championship next week — on courses where he has won in the past and where he can transform his season.
‘When you’ve been with a caddie since July 2008, I don’t think there is ever a right time,’ said the Northern Irishman.
‘I hate the term fired or sacked because it wasn’t like that. When we started together I was an 18year-old who had just turned pro and JP had been with Ernie Els, a top 10 player in the world.
‘We missed our first three cuts together and there was a danger of me losing my tour card.
‘so JP, who had taken a bit of a risk, showed some loyalty in sticking by me through those first few months and I feel like I have repaid that over the last nine years.
‘of course, you could look back and say we should have won this or that tournament.
‘There’s certainly a couple of rounds we’d both like to have back. But we’ve lasted way longer than the norm for players and caddies and walk away from the relationship with our heads held high. We’ll definitely remain good friends, and there’s nothing to say JP might not work for me again in the future.’
As one good friend leaves the scene, McIlroy’s closest pal of all will pick up the bag for the next two events. McIlroy has known Harry Diamond since childhood in Holywood and he was rory’s best man when he married Erica stoll in April.
Diamond is also a fine amateur golfer in his own right — he has played for Ireland in the past — and McIlroy said it is possible it could prove more than a twoweek engagement.
one stumbling block might be that Diamond is a successful businessman in his own right, owning a few bars in Belfast.
‘I don’t know if I’d say he is auditioning, but we’re not ruling anything out,’ said McIlroy.
‘Who knows what will happen if we win the next two weeks?
‘Harry has caddied for me before and knows my game and personality. But he’s got his own thing going in Belfast so at the end of the day it might be up to him more than me.’
As if McIlroy and Diamond wouldn’t be in the spotlight enough this morning, they have got open champion Jordan spieth and Jason Day for company in a mouth-watering first- round grouping, at an event that has attracted all the world’s best.
And so the rory-JP partnership passes into history, with their last act that feisty open at Birkdale where Fitzgerald’s no-nonsense pep talk on the first day sparked McIlroy into action, as he recovered from a disastrous start to finish tied fourth.
Who will give rory pep talks now? ‘I’m hoping I’m not going to need them,’ he responded.