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Reigning FedExCup champion Rory McIlroy has fired his caddie and will use his best friend at this week’s World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational and next week’s PGA Championship, according to published reports. Officialsportsbetting.com cited a source it did not identify as saying McIlroy has parted ways with J.P. Fitzgerald. They have worked together for the past nine years, during which McIlroy has won four major championships and reached No. 1 in the world. McIlroy is due to speak about the change Wednesday during his previously scheduled news conference at the Bridgestone Invitational. The Belfast Telegraph reported that McIlroy’s caddie at the next two tournaments will be Harry Diamond, a childhood friend from McIlroy’s hometown of Holywood in Northern Ireland. Diamond was the best man at McIlroy’s wedding to American Erica Stoll in April. According to the Telegraph, Diamond has prior experience on McIlroy’s bag. At the 2005 Irish Open, Diamond caddied for the then-16-year-old McIlroy in a practice round. They were also together at the 2011 Masters during the Par 3 contest, as well as the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in 2014. McIlroy, having battled through injury issues earlier this year, has made just nine starts this season on the PGA TOUR. He has five top-10s but no wins and is currently ranked 53rd in the FedExCup standings. His last win was the TOUR Championship in September when he claimed the FedExCup. He’s currently ranked fourth in the world after his tie for fourth at The Open Championship. If he doesn’t win next week at Quail Hollow – a course on which he’s won the Wells Fargo Championship twice – it will be his third consecutive year without a major victory. Before joining McIlroy, Fitzgerald spent several years as the caddie for Irishman Paul McGinley, the successful 2014 European Ryder Cup captain. McIlroy was a member of that winning team. “They’ve had a great partnership, culminating in four Majors and a huge amount of wins. They both can walk away from the relationship with really good memories,â€� McGinley told the Belfast Telegraph. “There’s a sell-by date with caddies, which is regularly illustrated on Tour. They’ve shared a lot of experiences, and they’ll walk away as friends, I’m sure.” It is the second significant player-caddie split this summer. Phil Mickelson and Jim “Bones” Mackay decided to end 25 years together. Mackay since has taken a job as an analyst on the course at NBC Sports.

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From a moment of silence to remember George Floyd, to no fan noise, to new noises players never noticed before, the PGA Tour’s return definitely looked and sounded different.

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PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – Rory McIlroy will have an MRI on Monday when he returns to Northern Ireland after completing THE PLAYERS Championship. McIlroy has been dealing with back pain this week while competing on THE PLAYERS Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass. He is expected to make the cut after shooting 73-71 in the first two rounds. “It’s obviously not 100 percent, but it’s good enough to get myself around here for the next couple of days,” McIlroy said about his back. He said the pain is coming from the same area as the stress fracture in his ribs that sidelined him for the start of the year. “If that injury was an 8 or a 9 in terms of pain and soreness and stiffness, this is around a 4 or 5,” he said. “It might just be a flare-up of what happened previously and I just need to rest for a few days and it might be OK. Hopefully that’s what it shows in the scan next week.” The pain he’s feeling this week feels like muscular discomfort instead of pain in a bone or joint, he said. McIlroy suffered a stress fracture in his ribs while testing golf equipment during the offseason. The injury sidelined him from mid-January until March. McIlroy, who announced this week that he has signed an equipment endorsement deal with TaylorMade, said his current discomfort may have been caused by a rapid return to practice after taking time off for his wedding. “I took three weeks off and then I went back at it again on Friday and instead of maybe gradually building it up again, I hit balls for four or five hours on Friday and did the same on Saturday,” said McIlroy, who got married on April 22. “I felt a bit of stiffness on Sunday, hit a couple of drives that didn’t quite feel right. Maybe I should have just taken it a bit easier over the weekend, but I was excited to get back, excited to play again.” McIlroy, who ranks 48th in the FedExCup, has finished in the top 12 in the past four PLAYERS. This is his first start since finishing seventh at the Masters.

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