Rory McIlroy’s caddie Harry Diamond has been by his side since the pair first met as kids in Holywood and it is estimated he has made more than £1m this year alone

Rory McIlroy has earned over $16million this year – which is sweet news to his caddy’s ears(Image: Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images)

Rory McIlroy’s 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥hood buddy and long-time caddie Harry Diamond has been by his side through thick and thin, and it seems like this pays off financially as well. The 41-year-old was the first to congratulate McIlroy after the world No. 2 clinched the Masters, completing the Grand Slam and breaking his agonizing 11-year major drought.

The duo’s friendship dates back to their early days in Holywood, where they first encountered one another on the putting greens of the local golf club. While Diamond isn’t a professional golfer himself, he’s raked in more cash than many top-tier players in recent years.

This year alone, it’s estimated that McIlroy’s right-hand man has pocketed around $1.65million. This figure is based on McIlroy’s winnings of roughly $16.5M. It’s standard practice for a caddie to receive about 10% of their player’s prize money.

Diamond’s projected 2025 earnings outᵴtriƥ those of former Masters champions Zach Johnson and Danny Willett, who have bagged around $882,000 and $540,000 this year, respectively. Diamond has also been paid more than Open Championship winner Francesco Molinari ($146K) and US Open victor Webb Simpson ($270K).

However, it’s possible that Diamond receives a weekly wage, sweetened with a bonus of around 7-10 per cent on top of his salary. Of course, only Diamond and McIlroy can confirm the specifics of their arrangement, but the above is generally par for the course in the sport.

However, one thing is for sure; McIlroy would feel pretty odd teeing off at a major without his good friend by his side.

Diamond outearned both Webb Simpson and Francesco Molinari in 2025(Image: Ben Jared/PGA TOUR via Getty Images)

The five-time major champion expressed his gratitude to Diamond after clinching the Masters title. In a heartfelt post-victory interview at Augusta, McIlroy recalled a pivotal moment shared with his confidant during the playoff hole.

As McIlroy prepared to face Justin Rose in an additional hole following a near miss for the Masters win on the 18th, he described the stomach-churning moment. He said: “After scoring, Harry and I were walking to the golf cart to bring us back to the 18th tee.

“He said to me, ‘Well, pal, we would have taken this on Monday morning.’ I’m like, ‘Yeah, absolutely we would have.’ That was an easy reset.

“He basically said to me, ‘Look, you would have given your right arm to be in a playoff at the start of the week.’ So that sort of reframed it a little bit for me.”

Rory McIlroy hailed Diamond for his unwavering support(Image: Andrew Redington/Getty Images)

In his moment of triumph, McIlroy didn’t forget to acknowledge Diamond. He added: “I’ve known Harry since I was seven years old.

“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 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. He’s a massive part of what I do, and I couldn’t think of anyone better to share it with than him.”