Rory McIlroy Tabs Best Friend Harry Diamond as Temporary Caddie

It was announced a few days ago that Rory McIlroy would be parting ways with his longtime caddie, J.P. Fitzgerald. To fill this new opening, McIlroy has decided to temporarily hand the job to his best friend.

It has been reported now that long time friend Harry Diamond will be caddying the Northern Irishman for the WGC-Bridgestone Championship as well as the PGA Championship in two weeks at Quail Hollow. Outside of these two events, however, there are no indications that Diamond will continue with the job on a full-time basis.

However, that doesn’t mean that Harry won’t become the permanent caddie. The two have a strong relationship, being best friends from childhood. Diamond was also Rory’s best man at his wedding. Plus the two have worked together before, with Diamond carrying the bag for McIlroy at the 2005 Irish Open and most recently in 2014 at the Dunhill Links Championship.

A post shared by Harry Diamond (@haza136) on May 4, 2016 at 2:18am PDT

Other than the personal relationship between the two players, choosing Diamond to be his next caddie would be a bit questionable on Rory’s part. Diamond, while he has experience caddying, isn’t a member of the golf community at large. He is actually a successful businessman that owns chains of clubs and bars in Northern Ireland.

Still, the personal relationship that the two men have may build a sense of trust that Rory seemed to have lost with J.P. Fitzgerald. While Fitzgerald was one of the key voices that kicked Rory into high gear at the Open Championship after a dreadful start, McIlroy didn’t feel his caddie was making the right decisions. This is most notable in a report that McIlroy believes he double bogeyed a hole on Sunday because he was mis-clubbed off the tee.

McIlroy is set to speak to the media this upcoming Wednesday to address his long-term plans at caddie, but for now Diamond will be at his side with Rory’s bag slung over his shoulder.

Cover Image via Instagram