Rory McIlroy reveals private seven-word message to caddie as rivals put on notice
Rory McIlroy reveals private seven-word message to caddie as rivals put on notice
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Rory McIlroy's motivation-filled message to his caddie Harry Diamond after his AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am victory will surely stoke the competitive fire of his rivals. The golfing great pulled off a remarkable back-nine scoring burst to earn a two-shot win at the tournament on Sunday to make a winning start to his 2025 PGA Tour season. On top of it being his 27th career victory on the Tour, the 35-year-old also banked a cool £2.9million ($3.6m) in prize money.
In his first triumph since last year's Wells Fargo Championship, McIlroy now has at least one PGA Tour victory in each of the last eight seasons. After his win, he revealed a mid-game chat he had with caddie Harry Diamond - who he's worked with since 2017 - that displayed his desire to continue his winning run throughout the season. "I said to Harry (Diamond, his caddie) walking up the last, start as you mean to go on," he admitted. "I'm just as determined this year in any of the years I've been out here on the PGA Tour and to get this win this early it means a great deal and hopefully just keep the momentum going into Torrey Pines in a couple of weeks' time.".
Despite having not won a major since 2014, McIlroy's fellow golf rivals have certainly been put on notice by his post-victory comments as well as his added admission that he believes he's nearing his peak performance. Speaking to Sky Sports, he said: "Yeah I'm close, I'm pretty close. "I feel like I controlled my ball flight well in the crosswinds this week I drove the ball really well. I think I'll always nitpick and there's always things about my game that I want to try to get better, because that's just who I am," he continued.
"I'm trying to get the most out of myself all the time, but I also have to accept at the same time where my game's at right now." The County Down native is back in action next week at The Genesis Invitational, which is hosted by Tiger Woods. While regularly hosted at the Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, it's since been relocated to the Torrey Pines Golf Course in San Diego due to the wildfires that engulfed the Los Angeles area. The tournament is set to include relief initiatives for individuals and families that were affected by the fires.
