Rory McIlroy revealed a message from caddie Harry Diamond proved crucial in helping him refocus ahead of his play-off victory at the Masters.
The Northern Irishman completed the career Grand Slam on Sunday after one of the most dramatic final rounds in recent major history, becoming one of only six men to have won all four of golf’s biggest prizes.
McIlroy had a six-foot putt on the 72nd hole to seal victory but pulled it left, sending him to a play-off with Justin Rose, who carded ten birdies in a remarkable final round of 66.
With McIlroy having had a four-shot lead on the back nine before making a double bogey at the 13th, and then missing a short putt for the win, the obvious question was whether he would be able to regroup in time for the play-off.
Asked how he did so, McIlroy said: “After scoring, Harry and I were walking to the golf cart to bring us back to the 18th tee, and he said to me, ‘well pal, we would have taken this on Monday morning’.
"I'm like, 'yeah, absolutely we would have'. That was an easy reset. He basically said to me, ‘you would have given your right arm to be in a play-off at the start of the week’. That sort of reframed it a little bit for me.
“I just kept telling myself, just make the same swing you made in regulation. And I hit a great drive up there and the rest is history.
"I had two yards less in the play-off than regulation and a flatter lie as well. It was a good number, just needed a committed swing and made one at the right time."
This is McIlroy’s first major victory since 2014 and the first with close friend Diamond on the bag, one that will bring immense satisfaction considering the heartbreak that has come before it.
As near misses in the majors have come and gone, McIlroy has faced questions over his choice of caddie and whether a more experienced head is needed in the pressure moments. This, though, served as a definitive answer.
“I’ve know Harry since I was seven years old,” McIlroy said. “I met him on the putting green at Holywood Golf Club.
“We’ve had so many good times together. He’s been like a big brother to me the whole way through my life. To be able to share this with him, after all the close calls we’ve had, after all the crap that he’s had to take from people that don’t know anything about the game.
“This one is just as much his as it is mine. He’s a massive part of what I do and I couldn’t think of anyone better to share it with than him.”
