At the US Open last Sunday, Rory McIlroy was denied a fifth major championship, and many chose to blame his caddie for the defeat. Harry Diamond
After last Sunday’s thrilling US Open final, Rory McIlroy’s former agent Andrew “Chubby” Chandler has sprung to the defense of the Northern Irishman’s caddie, Harry Diamond.
At Pinehurst No. 2, Mcllroy appeared to be on track to win his first major championship in ten years, but Bryson DeChambeau, the leader after 54 holes, prevailed. With five holes remaining in North Carolina, McIlroy was two shots ahead, but a series of mishaps in the last few holes caused him to lose by one shot.
Most significantly, the four-time major champion’s chances were hurt by missing short putts on the 16th and 18th holes. McIlroy’s ability to manage his game was also called into question after he made poor tee decisions at holes 15 and 18.
At the par-three 15th hole, the 35-year-old made his first birdie when he mishandled a seven iron over the back of the putting surface. After making a bogey on the 18th tee box, he mishit his driver left, putting himself out of position off the tee and suffering the same fate on his 72nd hole of the week.
McIlroy had played three-wood up the last hole with safety in the previous three rounds, but he altered his approach in the fourth round. Due to this, a lot of people have blamed his caddie, Diamond, for the two expensive tee shots he made during the tournament’s business end.
But according to a man who knows the four-time major champion in Chandler well, McIlroy makes all of the decisions. “You can’t hold the caddie responsible because [McIlroy] disregards advice from others.” Those who are blaming the caddie are ignorant of the situation.
“Rory acts on his own impulses. In life, it’s over. When everyone says, “It was the caddie’s fault,” what will the caddie do? Will he confront him on the 18th tee? It’s probably because he hit three-wood if he didn’t understand why he was traveling with driver the other three days. But if he butts in and [McIlroy] goes on and makes a bogey, then that’s his fault.
Although they haven’t experienced much success on the grand stage, McIlroy and Diamond—who have been close friends for a while—have enjoyed great success together since they began dating in 2017. This is despite their near-miss on Sunday.
Chandler therefore thinks that McIlroy’s approach to making decisions has contributed to his development as a player. The agent went on, “Rory is the boss, and there’s nothing wrong with that.” “It hasn’t gone badly, have they?”
Following his near-miss this past weekend, McIlroy decided to take a hiatus from competitive golf. He will return to Scotland the following month to defend his Scottish Open title. A week later, at Royal Troon, he will be back in action as the Open Championship takes place.
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