ICONIC caddie Billy Foster has leapt to the defence of Rory McIlroy’s bagman Harry Diamond.
Matt Fitzpatrick’s now former caddie also insists the Holywood ace is the man to beat in the majors this year.
Foster and 2022 US Open winner Fitzpatrick split earlier this year after a six year partnership.
World number two McIlroy has bagged two win on the 2025 PGA Tour season so far.
McIlroy has been criticised for failing to win a major since 2014, with long-time friend and caddie Harry Diamond also facing the wrath of the media and public.
But Foster isn’t having any of it as he insists Diamond is not to blame for McIlroy’s 11-year major drought.
Speaking to Prime Casino, the Englishman staunchly defended the Down natives bagman.
Foster said: “The criticism is not fair at all.
“It makes me laugh really at the people getting on his back. He has just won two signature events and The Players’ Championship, in four starts and they’re still on his back.
“Give the lad a break. He’s a very good caddie. Harry, don’t read the s****. That’s simple as. Because it is s****.
“Somebody’s opinion that is not educated, I think it’s wrong. I’d leave Harry alone.
“Rory’s playing better than anybody this year and they’re still giving the caddy flack. It’s out of order.
“Harry is his best mate, isn’t he? He has always been. He was there before he started caddying for him. Harry was his best mate. Harry’s a very good golfer in his own right too.
“He’s a plus two handicap or whatever he is and keeps himself to himself. He does everything right, he just needs to be left alone and left to get on with it.
“He does a really good job. I can only see the relationship getting stronger and stronger. He’s caddied for him for a number of years now.
“Listen, we all make mistakes out there and you learn from them. You move on and that’s it.”
The Northern Irishman bagged the won his second Players Championship after he won the AT&T Pebble Beach PRO AM, and is the only player to have won twice on tour this season.
But the four-time major winners prime focus is on Augusta National with the Masters just two weeks away.
McIlroy jetted to the Georgia venue prior to taking part in this week’s Texas Children’s Houston Open.
The 36-year-old detailed the damage and changes to the course after Hurricane Helene, last September, while on his scouting mission at Augusta.
Four greens – including the 16th – were re-seeded and relaid after the hurricane wreaked havoc.
But the Northern Irishman said that changes were minimal on the course, despite some major work for the greenkeeper and his team.
He said: “The loss of a few trees is definitely noticeable, they’ve had to redo that [16th] green but it’s exactly the same as what it was.
“The hole will play – apart from maybe a few less shadows on the green late in the day – because of a couple of trees that were lost, but apart from that, it’s pretty much the same.”
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OFFERING him a new contract is the easy bit.
It could be harder for Celtic getting Daizen Maeda to sit still long enough to actually sign it.
The Japanese frontman showed yet again how he just doesn’t do waiting around.
The Hearts defence thought they had him and the rest of Brendan Rodgers’ side where they wanted them after a fairly impressive start to this Premiership clash.
But they took their eye off Maeda for a split second.
Then again. And again.
And before they knew it, they were 3-0 down with the game over as any sort of contest.
First, there was a super-cool finish past Craig Gordon after a brilliant through-ball from returning skipper Callum McGregor.
Then Maeda hit the post with a header with Jota pouncing on the rebound to double Celtic’s lead.
With the visitors rocking, the winger turned striker was soon sealing the victory with a tap-in from a Nicolas Kuhn assist before half-time.
It was just sensational stuff from the 27-year-old.
The Jambos actually played really well for the first 17 minutes it was 0-0.
But Neil Critchley cannot have been impressed with how his side capitulated to concede three quick-fire first-half goals and throw away any hope they had of stunning Celtic like Rangers did.
In the opposite dugout, Rodgers challenged his players to start brightly after the sluggish way they kicked off in the Old Firm defeat.
And as bizarre as it sounds, the Celtic boss didn’t get the reaction he was looking for.
Not immediately, anyway.
Hearts were the better team early on and started with real intent to get something from the game.
The Jambos pressurised Hoops stand-in keeper Viljami Sinisalo with everything they had and on another day could easily haver taken the lead.
But this was an example of his Celtic don’t need to be at their best when they have an on-his-toes attacker like Maeda on the top of his game.
It’s now 30 goals for the season for the forward who is a racing certainty to sweep the boards with all the Player of the Year awards in the next few weeks.
That’s a stat which shows why Celtic as a club are absolutely right to get him tied down on a new contract as soon as humanly possible.
There are certain to be big clubs in England and abroad sitting up and taking notice of his goalscoring prowess.
They wouldn’t be doing their jobs otherwise.
But Maeda looks like he’s in the happiest place of his career and if Celtic can get him secured on a new longterm contract then it’ll be shrewd business.
It’s going to mean a decent pay rise for the workaholic goalscorer but, as Rodgers says himself, he’s earned every penny off a salary hike with his goals and performances.
Celtic
Viljami Sinisalo 7
Alistair Johnston 7
Cameron Carter-Vickers 7
Maik Nawrocki 7
Jeffrey Schlupp 7
Callum McGregor 7
Reo Hatate 7
Arne Engels 7
Jota 7
Nicolas Kuhn 7
Daizen Maeda 9
Subs:
Paulo Bernardo 4 (McGregor 65)
Adam Idah 2 (Maeda 70)
Yang Hyunjun 2 (Kuhn 70)
James Forrest 1 (Jota 81)
Luke McCowan (Hatate 81)
Hearts
Craig Gordon 7
Adam Forrester 6
Michael Steinwender 6
Lewis Neilson 6
Harry Milne 6
James Penrice 6
Beni Baningime 6
Cammy Devlin 6
Lawrence Shankland 5
James Wilson 5
Elton Kabangu 6
Subs:
Calem Nieuwenhof 4 (Wilson 45)
Sander Kartum 2 (Baningime 70)
Blair Spittal 2 (Devlin 70)
Jorge Grant 2 (Shankland 70)
Alan Forrest 1 (Kabangu 86)
Put it this way, Celtic gambled by allowing Kyogo Furuhashi to leave the club in January for a move to Rennes in France, despite the hefty £10million transfer fee they received.
But Maeda has single-handedly proved that to be another smart decision.
Had he toiled as a striker – and valuable points were dropped – then the mood around Celtic right now would be entirely different.
As it is, Rodgers’ side are now just ticking off the games before being crowded champions yet again.
It’s been a foregone conclusion for months now with Rangers picking and choosing when they’re going to show up.
But Rodgers and his players are now potentially within just three more wins to seal their latest league title.
Hearts are still in the mix to finish best of the rest, but only just.
They’re sixth in the table and time is fast running out for Critchley to achieve the target that would have been set out at Tynecastle at the start of the season.
They were left wondering how they didn’t at least get a goal to show for their efforts here.
The second-half was a nothing more than a formality in many ways given Celtic’s commanding lead and superiority.
The Gorgie men certainly had more moments before the break when they troubled Finn Sinisalo.
It turned out to be a good day for Schmeichel’s deputy who has been waiting for his chance to make an appearance in the Premiership.
There were one or two anxious moments when he received a pass-back and hurriedly kicked the ball straight out of the park. But he could be forgiven for that.
Overall, Sinisalo’s handling was good and he can be happy with his afternoon’s work.
Rodgers was also able to get Paulo Bernardo onto the pitch after his seven-week injury absence with the Portuguese midfielder replacing McGregor after 65 minutes.
The Hoops skipper cruised through the game until then and looked like he has shrugged off his fitness issues following the international break.
There was also a late appearance from ever-green James Forrest off the bench as he battled back from a lay-off.
The only downside for the home fans was that there were no more goals to celebrate in the second-half.
They saluted Maeda, who left the pitch to a hero’s reception after 70 minutes, with the job done.
Chants of ‘we’ve won the league again, fly the flag,’ came before the end of the game.
And it’s now only a matter of time.
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