Rory McIlroy backs his caddie by telling fan to "shut the f**k up" - REPORT

Rory McIlroy is currently competing in the final round of the Genesis Invitational at Torrey Pines. Reportedly, he came to his caddie, Harry Diamond's defense, after a fan blamed him for the golfer missing a putt.

McIlroy has been struggling with his putts this week at the Genesis Invitational. Playing on the par-3 third on Sunday, he missed his ten-foot birdie putt. A fan allegedly shouted at him from the crowd:

"BLAME YOUR CADDIE"

Reportedly, the Northern Irish star immediately came to Diamond's defense and fired back at the fan saying:

"Shut the f*** up"

Golf Digest reporter Dan Rapaport shared the incident on his X page.

Harry Diamond has been on Rory McIlroy's bag ever since 2017. The ace golfer has always stood by him, even publicly fending off criticism against Diamond on different occasions. The two are also childhood friends with Diamond serving as McIlroy's best man at his wedding in 2018.

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When Rory McIlroy defended his caddie after his heartbreaking near-miss at the 2024 US Open

Rory McIlroy and Harry Diamond at the Genesis Scottish Open 2024 (Source: Getty)

Rory McIlroy experienced a heartwrenching near-miss at the 2024 US Open, when he lost out to Bryson DeChambeau at Pinehurst No.2.

Several people, including golf pundits and fans, had hurled criticism at McIlroy's caddie Harry Diamond for the loss. However, the ace golfer defended him at the Scottish Genesis Open last year (via Golf Digest).

"Just because Harry is not as vocal or loud with his words as other caddies, it doesn’t mean that he doesn’t say anything and that he doesn’t do anything,"

He further added:

"These guys that criticize when things don’t go my way, they never say anything good when things do go my way. At the end of the day, they are not there. They are in the in the arena. They are not the ones hitting the shots and making the decisions."

Rory McIlroy finished his DP World Tour 2024 season on a high note. He not only won the DP World Tour Championship, but also the season-long Race to Dubai. The star player commended Diamond and also talked about the unwarranted criticism he has to face.

"I want to give a shout out to Harry, he's been with me every step of the way for the last seven years now. He gets his fair share of stick and it's not warranted. Harry is an amazing caddie and the best friend I could ever ask for, thanks mate."

Currently, the 35-year-old is placed T12 in the ongoing final round of Genesis Invitational. He has carded a total score of 4-under (at the time of writing).