'For once I listened': McIlroy caddie a Diamond in the rough

Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, reacts after missing a putt on the third hole during the final round of the U.S. Open golf tournament at The Country Club, Sunday, June 19, 2022, in Brookline, Mass. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

BROOKLINE, Massachusetts – Harry Diamond stayed home last week to be present for the birth of his second child, missing out on Rory McIlroy’s victory at the RBC Canadian Open. Diamond returned to work at the US Open and played a big role in giving his boss an opportunity to win a fifth major on Father’s Day.

McIlroy was in a dangerous spot on the 13th hole Saturday, struggling to inflict the least amount of damage to himself before he got off the golf course. Coming off a bogey at No 12, he’d pulled his drive on 13 into the trees left and was ready to try a hero shot through a gap over trees to a green with water guarding the front. It was the kind of play that offer more risk than reward – and the kind of mistake that has ruined too many major weeks.

“I was ready to hit a 4-iron and try to play it off my front foot and hit it up over those trees,” McIlroy confessed after the round.

Diamond offered a different option: “Why don’t you play it out here and we try to get it up and down?” 

A Boston fan overheard the exchange and seconded the motion: “Shouldn’t you be doing that?” 

“That was all Harry,” McIlroy said of the advice that might have saved him from ruining his Sunday chances. “He said to me, ‘Look, you could pull it off, but you could also make a 7 or an 8 doing it.

“That was huge. That's the benefit of having a good caddie and someone that's strong. He said to me, ‘Look, just go here. Don't even think about it.’ For once I listened, and it paid off, and I was able to make a good par.” 

McIlroy punched it sideways 78 yards and hit his approach from 165 yards to 14 feet, making the clutch par putt. He parred his way in from there to card a 73 and remain only three shots off the lead entering the final round.

McIlroy’s rounds both Friday and Saturday were the kind of struggles that might have gotten away from him after losing ground early. Instead of pressing too hard to catch up, he played measured and deliberate golf to minimise the damage and maximize his chances to stay within arms reach for a Sunday charge.

“I'm always sort of trying to look at the positive side of things and be optimistic,” he said with a laugh Saturday night. “Yeah, in this game of golf you need to be an eternal optimist.” 

When all is said and done at The Country Club, you can be positive that Diamond’s caution played a big role in McIlroy’s final outcome.