'This One Is Just As Much His As It Is Mine' - Rory McIlroy Pays Emotional Tribute To 'Big Brother' Harry Diamond After Historic Masters Win

The 2025 Masters champion couldn't hold back the tears when discussing the importance of his relationship with caddie Harry Diamond

Rory McIlroy and Harry Diamond hold the Masters trophy
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Rory McIlroy has entered golf's history books as a career grand slam winner after triumphing at the 2025 Masters, and he paid tribute to his best friend and longtime caddie Harry Diamond after finally sealing the green jacket.

Diamond has been on McIlroy's bag since 2017 and has come under plenty of criticism through the years as his fellow Northern Irishman continued to miss out on Major wins.

McIlroy has stuck up for his looper plenty of times in the past and has never appeared to have even considered replacing him with a more experienced caddie - a decision that more than paid off at Augusta where the pair found themselves standing on the 18th green holding the Masters trophy.

After more than seven years striding the fairways together, McIlroy and Diamond finally got to taste Major glory - and the World No.2 could not have heaped more praise on his best friend and 'big brother' after tapping in his winning putt on Sunday evening in Augusta.

"I've known Harry since I was seven years old," McIlroy told the media through tears.

"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 that we've had, all the crap that he's had to take from people that don't know anything about the game, yeah, 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."

The now five-time Major champion missed a short putt on the 72nd hole to win The Masters and somehow managed to get himself together to birdie 18 and win the playoff.

After standing on the 11th tee with a four-stroke cushion, he inexplicably dropped four strokes over his next four holes to lose the lead and then missed his chance on 18.

How did he manage to get himself together to go and win the playoff? That's where Diamond came in.

"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," McIlroy said.

"That was an easy reset. He basically said to me, "look, you would have given your right arm to be in a playoff at the start of the week." So that sort of reframed it a little bit for me.

"Yeah, again, I just kept telling myself, just make the same swing you made in regulation. And I hit a great drive up there, and yeah, the rest is history."

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Elliott Heath
News Editor

Elliott Heath is our News Editor and has been with Golf Monthly since early 2016 after graduating with a degree in Sports Journalism. He manages the Golf Monthly news team as well as our large Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages. He covered the 2022 Masters from Augusta National as well as five Open Championships on-site including the 150th at St Andrews. His first Open was in 2017 at Royal Birkdale, when he walked inside the ropes with Jordan Spieth during the Texan's memorable Claret Jug triumph. He has played 35 of our Top 100 golf courses, with his favourites being both Sunningdales, Woodhall Spa, Western Gailes, Old Head and Turnberry. He has been obsessed with the sport since the age of 8 and currently plays off of a six handicap. His golfing highlights are making albatross on the 9th hole on the Hotchkin Course at Woodhall Spa, shooting an under-par round, playing in the Aramco Team Series on the Ladies European Tour and making his one and only hole-in-one at the age of 15 - a long time ago now!

Elliott is currently playing:

Driver: Titleist TSR4

3 wood: Titleist TSi2

Hybrids: Titleist 816 H1

Irons: Mizuno MP5 5-PW

Wedges: Cleveland RTX ZipCore 50, 54, 58

Putter: Odyssey White Hot OG #5

Ball: Srixon Z Star XV

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