Rory McIlroy - 4 Time Major Winner

ForeRight

BigChap1759 wrote: »

His not winning a major has nothing to do with his caddie though - his poor putting and awful average distance with short irons/wedges is the problem - how is changing his caddie going to help this areas?!?!

That's very true but doesn't address why changing caddy is a mistake and wil have any effect on him negatively

First Up

ForeRight wrote:

That's very true but doesn't address why changing caddy is a mistake and wil have any effect on him negatively

I've long thought that JP was too quiet when things were going badly. So we are entitled to wonder if it is more than a coincidence that he got sacked right after the only time he wasn't.

CMOTDibbler

First Up wrote: »

I've long thought that JP was too quiet when things were going badly. So we are entitled to wonder if it is more than a coincidence that he got sacked right after the only time he wasn't.

I doubt that. If it was something that annoyed McIlroy, he wouldn't have drawn attention to it in the way he did. I mean he credited him with turning a bad front nine into a stonking good back nine.

The only possible negative he could have drawn from that is the "why didn't you say something sooner?" one. And that would have been a touch ungrateful imo.

What people are referring to is the bad club choice on the tenth on day three. It cost him a double bogey and stopped him in his tracks. If there's been a history of that kind of thing, it could well have been the last straw.

benny79

red ears wrote: »

I wonder did Spieth winning and the praise he heaped on his caddie make McIlroy think a bit about his relationship with JP. It seems Spieth's caddie really helped pull him round those last few holes of the British Open.

Agree, but so did JP in a way by giving Mcllroy a kick up the arse and him having a great back 9.

luvthegame

In fairness I think we've discussed this breakup topic to death.

The general consensus on here seems to be McIlroy biggest problems are his wedge game and putting.
So what do people think could change with Diamond on the bag?
Green reading? Type of wedge shot he should play?
I think club selection on the longer irons shots will be a big issue for a rookie caddie.

We all play with mates and we think "if he took my advice all the way around id save him ten shots"

CMOTDibbler

luvthegame wrote: »

In fairness I think we've discussed this breakup topic to death.

The general consensus on here seems to be McIlroy biggest problems are his wedge game and putting.
So what do people think could change with Diamond on the bag?
Green reading? Type of wedge shot he should play?
I think club selection on the longer irons shots will be a big issue for a rookie caddie.

We all play with mates and we think "if he took my advice all the way around id save him ten shots"

I'd expand 'wedge game' to approach game. For a long time he's been missing greens and if he's hitting them, it's been too far away for a realistic chance of birdie. That seemed to improve at the Open. But the improvement came too late for him to mount a serious challenge. If his front nine on day one had been level par (conservative based on his next three days) he'd have been right in the mix on the last day.

Club choice could well have been an issue with the above, especially if he's been missing long or short. Whether Harry would know enough about his game to be able to help him in that respect is open to question. He's played a lot of golf with him, but we're all experts about somebody else's game as you say.

PARlance

First Up wrote: »

I've long thought that JP was too quiet when things were going badly. So we are entitled to wonder if it is more than a coincidence that he got sacked right after the only time he wasn't.

Maybe it went to JP's head and he started abusing Rory on Sunday.

JP:"You've a 6 footer, left to right, left edge is your line. Use your driver, because you're Rory McIlroy and you won't ****in hole it with your putter.

JP: "89 yards out into the wind, a little flick with your 56 and you can use it again when you miss the green because you're Rory ****in McIlroy"

CMOTDibbler

An article in Golf Digest has the following first paragraph:

The news that Rory McIlroy has parted ways with longtime caddie J.P. Fitzgerald might have come as a surprise to many, but some close observers could see it coming. By Sunday morning of the final round of the British Open, the rumor mill was rampant among caddies that Fitzgerald was on his way out. A week later it became official.

Of course that could all be hindsight, but the following quote also gives some indication as to why:

“Whoever he gets as a caddie needs to be someone who is strong and confident in the info they give him and not afraid to tell him to his this shot or this club,” one player said. “He makes too many unforced errors."

“It’s nice for others because you know he’s going to choose the wrong club or shot once or twice a round, so you can gain on him or extend the lead. If he gets anywhere close to Jordan [Spieth]’s decision making/shot selection, he will be dominating again. He’ll be better than Jordan and he and Dustin Johnson will have a massive advantage over everyone else because they are the two most talented players on tour by far.”

ligerdub

Golfers (much like tennis players) are funny creatures. It could just be that he fancies a change and figures a new guy on the bag is like giving him a fresh start psychologically.

neddynasty

FixdePitchmark wrote: »

Do we still not have a statement - that is actually pathetic stuff.

Why do we need a statement other than to satisfy curiosity?
The split has already been confirmed.

benny79

“Whoever he gets as a caddie needs to be someone who is strong and confident in the info they give him and not afraid to tell him to his this shot or this club,” one player said. “He makes too many unforced errors."

This does my head in.. The golfer ultimately decides on what club to play and shot! Not his caddy he may ask for his advice and go with it if he's unsure but that be it.

Russman

BigChap1759 wrote: »

This is part of the problem though - he obviously did 14 clubs because they threw a load of extra money at him - he has "more like $200m" in the bank but he's prepared to handicap himself with a TM putter for a few more dollars.....

Very surprising he didn't go for a 13 club deal alright. I mean, nobody has ever accused TM of making good putters !

PARlance wrote: »

Maybe it went to JP's head and he started abusing Rory on Sunday.

JP:"You've a 6 footer, left to right, left edge is your line. Use your driver, because you're Rory McIlroy and you won't ****in hole it with your putter.

JP: "89 yards out into the wind, a little flick with your 56 and you can use it again when you miss the green because you're Rory ****in McIlroy"

Can you imagine the stunned silence in the Sky studio had an exchange like that ever happened in real life

benny79 wrote: »

“Whoever he gets as a caddie needs to be someone who is strong and confident in the info they give him and not afraid to tell him to his this shot or this club,” one player said. “He makes too many unforced errors."

This does my head in.. The golfer ultimately decides on what club to play and shot! Not his caddy he may ask for his advice and go with it if he's
unsure but that be it.

True but at the highest level, golf is increasingly a "team" effort. If both player and caddy are poor at one aspect (say, green reading) then surely the player would look to a caddy who's strengths will compliment his own, rather than give up a slight competitive advantage (however small) to his rivals.

First Up wrote: »

I've long thought that JP was too quiet when things were going badly. So we are entitled to wonder if it is more than a coincidence that he got sacked right after the only time he wasn't.

Wondered about this myself. Was JP purely paid to carry the bag and not much else - "yes sir", "no sir", "three bags full sir" ? Who knows.


Or maybe this is all bo11ox and Rory simply just fancied a change and having a mate on the bag for a while.

FixdePitchmark

neddynasty wrote: »

Why do we need a statement other than to satisfy curiosity?
The split has already been confirmed.

Numerous reasons .

Respect
Manners
Professionalism

He is supposed to be part of a serious professional organisation.

Someone who was a serious part of that is gone.

You make some sort of statement for closure and respect to your fans and the individual.

I guess it is just manners primarily.

The way the information release has been controlled is very amateur for anyone who has seen how it is done properly in a serious organisation.

mikeybrennan

FixdePitchmark wrote: »

Numerous reasons .

Respect
Manners
Professionalism

He is supposed to be part of a serious professional organisation.

Someone who was a serious part of that is gone.

You make some sort of statement for closure and respect to your fans and the individual.

I guess it is just manners primarily.

The way the information release has been controlled is very amateur for anyone who has seen how it is done properly in a serious organisation.

It can also be argued that he doesn't need to release a statement at all.

The golf course is the place to make a statement

FixdePitchmark

mikeybrennan wrote: »

It can also be argued that he doesn't need to release a statement at all.

The golf course is the place to make a statement

It could be .

But then Rory is saying he is just a golfer and has no interest in the public at all.

I can't see anyone make a sensible argument like that when he himself has formed a foundation outside of golf.

So I'd like to hear that argument. Particularly when he told us he is worth what 200 million. He hardly made that on the course.

Anatom

True.

Who is he allegedly making a statement for? What's the purpose? He doesn't need to answer to anyone other than himself and his team (and, I suppose, his sponsors), so he's entitled to just clarify it whenever / however he wants to.

When they're ready, they'll announce what they want to. The rest of us will just have to wait and see.

ronjo

FixdePitchmark wrote: »

Numerous reasons .

Respect
Manners
Professionalism

He is supposed to be part of a serious professional organisation.

Someone who was a serious part of that is gone.

You make some sort of statement for closure and respect to your fans and the individual.

I guess it is just manners primarily.

The way the information release has been controlled is very amateur for anyone who has seen how it is done properly in a serious organisation.

I think you are being way overdramatic here.
They said he will talk about it today so I am sure he will.

FixdePitchmark

ronjo wrote: »

I think you are being way overdramatic here.
They said he will talk about it today so I am sure he will.

I guess that is the point . Why wouldn't he release a statement when it happened.

It would have been far less drama .

It looks spontaneous, unplanned and over dramatic.

So people are saying that is the way Rory wants to do things.

It just seems daft to me and any professional I know at a top level of anything.

neddynasty

FixdePitchmark wrote: »

I guess that is the point . Why wouldn't he release a statement when it happened.

It would have been far less drama .

It looks spontaneous, unplanned and over dramatic.

So people are saying that is the way Rory wants to do things.

It just seems daft to me and any professional I know at a top level of anything.

The drama is being created by media and fans. There wasn't a dramatic public bust up where McIlroy was hurling abuse and golf balls at JP. OK, the split may or may not have been spontaneous and unplanned but was done in private. If McIlroy wants to talk about it he will. If not he won't. He doesn't owe anyone an explanation really.

martinkop

I wonder what sort of employment contract a caddy would have??

Severance, performance criteria, or do they have any at all??

Keano

Well the European tour has confirmed its Harry Diamond on his bag this week

ForeRight

Keano wrote: »

Well the European tour has confirmed its Harry Diamond on his bag this week

With a whopper name like Harry Diamond he should get the full time gig

CMOTDibbler

Keano wrote: »

Well the European tour has confirmed its Harry Diamond on his bag this week

Yep, there they are, the lads, having the craic

ligerdub

ForeRight wrote: »

With a whopper name like Harry Diamond he should get the full time gig

Will he be Rory's "Diamond in the rough" though?



I'll show myself out.

CMOTDibbler

ligerdub wrote: »

Will he be Rory's "Diamond in the rough" though?



I'll show myself out.

It's a headline writer's wet dream really. I was going to start writing some here and basically cringed.

HighLine

Just watched Rory's press conference there. As usual, he came across very well. He stated he will still maintain a personal relationship with JP but the business relationship had ran it's course. No decision made as to if Harry will stay on the bag after 2 weeks.

You can watch interview below

https://twitter.com/PGATOUR/status/892808304547770370

ForeRight

Just watched Rory's interview..

He is a black belt at the media game when in the spotlight like this week again

luvthegame

ForeRight wrote: »

Just watched Rory's interview..

He is a black belt at the media game when in the spotlight like this week again

Maybe, but genuine fondness there for JP in his words.

Sounds like he is taking charge of yardages himself now. He may as well. Shur it will give him something to do while he's waiting for day and spieth to get their fingers out.

tayto lover

I'm hearing from people who actually know Rory that he and his caddy are really too close and Rory feels he needs to change things.
While most players and caddies only meet on the first tee, Rory and JP were staying in the same hotels, eating together etc. Rory felt that it had to change.

sentient_6

Who the f**k is Harry Diamond?