Rory McIlroy’s former agent Andrew ‘Chubby’ Chandler has jumped to the defence of the Northern Irishman’s caddie, Harry Diamond, following last Sunday’s dramatic US Open finale.
Mcllroy looked on course to win his first major championship in 10 years at Pinehurst No. 2, but was pipped by 54-hole leader Bryson DeChambeau. McIlroy had found himself two shots clear with five holes to play in North Carolina, but a number of errors down the final stretch saw him miss out by a single shot.
Most notably, the four-time major winner missed short putts on both the 16th and 18th to hamper his chances. McIlroy’s game management was questioned too, after his club choice on the tee at both 15 and 18 left him in bother.
The first came when the 35-year-old flew the green at the par-three 15th, as a seven iron left himself in bother over the back of the putting surface. He came away with bogey, before falling to the same fate at his 72nd hole of the week, having put himself out of position off the tee after hitting his driver left on the 18th tee box.
In the three rounds previously, McIlroy had safely played three-wood up the final hole but changed his strategy in round four. On the back of this, many have pointed the finger at his caddie, Diamond, for his part in the two costly tee shots during the business end of the tournament.
A man who knows the four-time major winner well in Chandler however believes the decision making always lies with McIlroy himself. “You can’t blame the caddie because [McIlroy] doesn’t listen to anybody. Everybody blaming the caddie does not know what they are talking about.
“Rory does what Rory wants to do. In life, full stop. So for everyone to say ‘it was the caddie’s fault’, what is the caddie going to do, have a row with him on the 18th tee? If he has hit three-wood on the other three days, he probably doesn’t understand why he is going with driver. But if he butts in and [McIlroy] goes on and makes a bogey, it is his fault.”
Regardless of the near-miss last Sunday, McIlroy and Diamond – who have been good friends for some time – have enjoyed plenty of success together since linking up in 2017, albeit not on the major stage.
As a result, Chandler believes McIlroy’s decision-making mentality has helped become the player he is today. “Rory is definitely the boss, and there is nothing wrong with it,” the agent added. “They haven’t done bad with it have they?”
On the back of his near-miss last weekend, McIlroy has opted to take a break from competitive golf, before making a return in Scotland next month for his Scottish Open defence. He will then be back in major action one week later, with the Open Championship taking place at Royal Troon.