McIlroy credits caddie: Masters win 'is just as much his as it is mine'

AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Rory McIlroy has endured plenty of anguishing moments while seeking to snap a decade-long drought in major championships.

That made celebrating Sunday's win at the Masters with his caddie and longtime friend Harry Diamond all the more special.

They became friends after meeting on a putting green in Holywood, Northern Ireland, when they were 7 years old and have remained close since. When McIlroy decided to make a change on his bag in the summer of 2017, he asked Diamond to become his caddie.

Critics questioned the move time and time again, asking whether Diamond was the best man for the job.

But McIlroy stayed staunchly loyal to Diamond and refused to make a change, even though he hadn't won a major since 2014, before his friend took the job. That made his career Grand Slam-clinching win at the Masters even sweeter.

“We’ve had so many good times together. He’s been like a big brother to me the whole way through my life," McIlroy said as his eyes swelled up with tears. “So 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.”

McIlroy called Diamond “a massive part” of what he's accomplished, which includes 40 worldwide victories and 29 on the PGA Tour.

“I couldn’t think of anyone better to share it with than him,” McIlroy said.

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AP Masters coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/the-masters