The final round of last night’s Canadian Open was exhilarating to say the very least. Rory McIlroy held off Justin Thomas’ blistering start with a cascade of birdies of his own, before a few short missed putts had them all square and the momentum firmly behind the American. McIlroy, often maligned in recent years for his ability to close out tournaments, managed to keep his head and pull off a handful of clutch shots in the closing holes to seal the victory.
The man on his bag who helped guide McIlroy through these troughs and peaks of the round was not his usual caddy Harry Diamond. Diamond was back home in Northern Ireland as is wife was expecting, and instead McIlroy enlisted the help of ex-Ulster and Connacht rugby player Niall O’Connor.
23 November 2012; Niall O'Connor, Ulster, prepares to kick a penalty. Celtic League 2012/13, Round 9, Benetton Treviso v Ulster, Stadio Mongio, Treviso, Italy. Picture credit: Roberto Bregani / SPORTSFILE
O’Connor and McIlroy met in their late-teens and bonded through a mutual love of golf and rugby.
It was not the first time O’Connor had caddied for the world no. 3 either. In 2019 he helped McIlroy to a fourth place finish at the DP World Tour Championship.
O’Connor was capped for the Ireland U20s and received Ireland Wolfhound honours as well. He played with his home province Ulster from 2007 to 2011 before transferring to Connacht, and back to Ulster in 2012.
Despite being present for McIlroy’s first win since the CJ Cup in October 2021, McIlroy has said that “hopefully” Harry Diamond will be back on his bag for this week’s US Open at Brookline.
The most talked about piece of gossip following McIlroy’s win were his post-victory comments, where he took a serious dig at LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman. The win was McIlroy’s 21st on the PGA Tour, taking him one ahead of Norman, which McIlroy said was a motivating factor for him.
SEE ALSO: Rory McIlroy Takes Dig At Greg Norman After Winning Canadian Open
