Rory McIlroy’s caddie Harry Diamond is poised to pocket a staggering sum after steering his long-standing friend to yet another Masters triumph. The victory sees McIlroy join an exclusive group of players to have successfully defended the title at Augusta National, alongside Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods.
The defending champion surged into a commanding lead, yet faced a stern challenge from several rivals as the weekend progressed. He finished on 12-under-par after carding a one-under round on Sunday, edging out Scottie Scheffler by a single shot. McIlroy will have been grateful to avoid a repeat of the playoff that secured his maiden Masters title. However, the closely contested leaderboard underlined just how crucial sound decision-making and the right caddie on the bag can be. Diamond has been McIlroy’s trusted bagman since 2017, with the pair’s bond stretching back many years. He has been present for some of the 36-year-old’s finest career moments and is set for another huge payday, having helped McIlroy claim the Green Jacket once more.
As Masters champion, McIlroy took home the £3.36million ($4.5m) top prize. While there is no fixed rate for caddie earnings, it is widely understood that they typically receive 10 per cent of the prize money for a win, seven per cent for a top 10 finish and five per cent for making the cut.
In Diamond’s case, these calculations suggest he would pocket a staggering £336,000 following McIlroy’s second Masters triumph. That sum is more than four times what former Masters champion Jon Rahm took home for his efforts at Augusta.
The 31-year-old won the Masters three years ago but endured a difficult campaign this time around. Rahm finished on one-over-par, sharing 38th place and collecting £75,380 (£101,250) in prize money.
This is not the first occasion Diamond has earned sums comparable to those of the world’s leading golfers. His net worth was reportedly around £1.9m last year through his work alongside McIlroy.
Williams accumulated a reported fortune of roughly £15.7m after helping Woods secure 13 of his 15 major championships during their partnership. In total, the 62-year-old steered Woods to 64 of his 82 PGA Tour victories. Following their split, Williams went on to work with elite golfers Adam Scott and Jason Day.
However, there appears little prospect of McIlroy and Diamond’s partnership coming to an end. A year ago, the Masters champion reflected on their shared journey and paid a heartfelt tribute to Diamond after finally triumphing at Augusta. “Yeah, I’ve known Harry since I was seven years old,” he 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 that we’ve had, all the c**p 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.”