JP Fitzgerald didn’t deserve to be fall guy, says McIlroy

It has been a year of change for Rory McIlroy, who has switched equipment companies, gotten married, and now split with his longtime caddie JP Fitzgerald.

“It’s a big change,” McIlroy said yesterday during a press conference on the eve of the WGC Bridgestone Invitational in Akron, Ohio. “JP has been a huge part of my life for the last decade. A lot of great times on-and-off the course.”

McIlroy, 28, said despite the split, he still considers Fitzgerald among his best friends, but he’s counting on his best man, Harry Diamond, to handle caddie duties for the next two weeks and provide a spark if McIlroy is to avoid a third successive majorless campaign in a row.