It’s an honest interview and it must’ve been a tough one.
Rory McIlroy copped a load of flak during the week for parting ways with long-term caddie JP Fitzgerald.
After nine years together and four major titles, the county Down native made the decision to look for a new partner after an unsuccessful Open tournament and, let’s get real, no individual sportsman or woman comes out of those career moves unanimously popular.
See: Every single one of Andy Murray’s coaching changes. That lad has notions.
However, at a press conference at the WGC Bridgestone Invitational, McIlroy laid out the blunt reasons why he had to let go of JP Fitzgerald and it’s hard not to feel some admiration for him.
The golfer admitted that he was becoming too hard on the caddie and taking his frustrations out on him and, ultimately, he wanted to preserve their friendship which was seemingly in danger if their working relationship carried on as it was.
“It’s a big change,” he said.
“JP has been a huge part of my life for the last decade. We started in July 2008 and went all the way to July this year.
“[We’ve had] a lot of great times on and off the golf course and I still consider JP one of my best friends. But, sometimes, to preserve a personal relationship you might have to sacrifice a professional one and that’s sort of the decision I came to in the end.
“I was getting very hard on him on the golf course.
“I got to the point where if I didn’t play a good shot or made a wrong decision I was getting more frustrated with him than myself.”
According to reports, McIlroy’s best friend Harry Diamond will fill in as caddie until he chooses a permanent replacement for Fitzgerald.
The 28-year-old has not ruled out a return for JP in future.
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