JP a vital cog in McIlroy machine

Some caddies find it difficult to live by the age-old maxim to keep up and shut up but that’s no problem for JP Fitzgerald.

He’s been by Rory McIlroy’s side for the past six years and made yesterday’s Open Championship triumph look like another routine day at the office.

The relationship between golfer and bagman was unbelievably relaxed given there was so much at stake and the confidence they placed in each other’s judgement could hardly have been more apparent.