Rory McIlroy once insisted that parting ways with longtime caddie JP Fitzgerald was an attempt to protect a friendship that mattered more than their professional partnership. After nearly nine years together, four major championships, and multiple victories, the Northern Irishman believed their working relationship had reached a point where continuing together could damage their personal bond.

It sounded like an amicable separation between two close friends. McIlroy even left the door open to working together again.

However, two years later, Fitzgerald revealed that the pair had not spoken since going their separate ways in 2017. He insisted he held no resentment, but his comments offered a different perspective on the friendship McIlroy had said he wanted to preserve.

McIlroy and Fitzgerald began working together in July 2008, when the former was still establishing himself in professional golf. Their partnership lasted until the 2017 Open Championship. They produced one of the most successful player-caddie relationships of that period.

Fitzgerald was alongside McIlroy when he won his first major at the 2011 US Open at Congressional. The eight-shot victory announced the arrival of a new major champion and established Rory McIlroy as one of golf’s biggest emerging stars.

They followed that success with another dominant performance at the 2012 PGA Championship. Two more major victories arrived in 2014, with the Northern Irishman lifting the Open Championship at Royal Liverpool before adding another PGA Championship at Valhalla.

Their achievements extended beyond major championships. McIlroy reached the world No. 1 ranking with Fitzgerald on his bag and won the 2016 FedEx Cup.

When discussing the payment, McIlroy recalled receiving a text from his caddie.

“A tsunami just hit my bank account, so thank you very much,” Fitzgerald reportedly wrote.

Rory McIlroy also described Fitzgerald as someone who had been with him when he was ranked No. 210 in the world and when he eventually reached the top.

But in August 2017, the Northern Irishman confirmed their separation ahead of the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational at Firestone.

“I still consider JP one of my best friends, one of my closest friends, but sometimes to preserve a personal relationship you might have to sacrifice a professional one, and that was sort of the decision that I came to in the end,” he explained.

“I was getting very hard on him on the golf course and I didn’t want to treat someone like that.”

McIlroy also resisted the suggestion that Fitzgerald had simply been fired, sacked, or axed. He said there was no reason they could not work together again at some point and maintained that Fitzgerald understood the decision.

The explanation presented the split as a difficult but necessary decision.

However, Fitzgerald’s comments in 2019 raised questions about how much of that personal relationship remained after the split.

JP Fitzgerald revealed they hadn’t spoken since the split

In October 2019, Fitzgerald gave his first substantial public comments about the separation in an interview with the Daily Mail.

The most revealing detail was that he and McIlroy had not spoken since going their separate ways after the 2017 Open Championship.

Fitzgerald, however, did not appear particularly bitter about the situation.

“At the end of the day, I went away to collect my thoughts and recharge my batteries. It was obvious I needed the break,” he said.

He also acknowledged the lessons he had learned from working with different players, including Rory McIlroy and former major champion Ernie Els.

“I’m appreciative of the fact they’ve all helped me to get better as a caddie,” Fitzgerald added.

Nevertheless, the revelation changed the way the original explanation could be viewed.

Rory McIlroy had said he sacrificed their professional relationship to protect their friendship. Yet, at least during the two years after the split, the friendship did not translate into continued communication.

But then what could have triggered the split?

An exchange at Royal Birkdale may have been the final flashpoint between the two.

The incident reportedly involved the Northern Irishman’s choice of club on the 10th hole. Fitzgerald had assured him that he could not reach a fairway bunker with a 3-iron. McIlroy subsequently hit the bunker, creating another frustrating moment in an already difficult period.

Subsequent reporting described the episode as a possible last straw in their deteriorating working relationship.

However, an important distinction exists between the incident and the timing of McIlroy’s decision.

The Birkdale exchange may have highlighted the communication problems between them. But Rory McIlroy later revealed that he had already made up his mind before arriving at the tournament.

He made that admission in an interview with the Irish Independent, where he offered a more revealing account of what happened behind the scenes.

Rory McIlroy had already decided before their final Open together

In 2020, McIlroy clarified that Fitzgerald’s departure was not a decision made suddenly after the Birkdale incident.

He admitted that he had known before the tournament that it would be their final week together. More interestingly, he explained why he had publicly praised Fitzgerald during the same tournament.

At Royal Birkdale, McIlroy had started disastrously, playing his opening six holes for five over par. Fitzgerald then delivered the now-famous motivational reminder:

“You’re Rory f***ing McIlroy, what are you doing?”

The words helped McIlroy regain his composure. He recovered from his poor start and eventually finished tied for fourth.

McIlroy publicly credited Fitzgerald for the intervention.

But his later explanation added a different dimension.

“I knew before [Birkdale] it was going to be his last week, and because I knew it, it was almost the reason I gave the media that nugget about what he did for me,” McIlroy said.

He then admitted that his comments came from “almost a guilty conscience” because he knew what was coming.

He further explained that the relationship had become complacent on both sides and that he had started considering a change after the Masters earlier that year.

McIlroy did not place all the blame on Fitzgerald.

“It was partly to do with him and mostly to do with me,” he admitted, explaining that his own poor form and frustration had caused him to take his anger out on the caddie.

The separation did not mark the end of Fitzgerald’s career as a caddie.

After taking an extended break, he briefly worked with rising American golfer Matthew Wolff in 2019. However, their partnership lasted only two tournaments.

“We just didn’t gel. It happens, and I have no problems with Matt. He’s clearly going to be a great player,” Fitzgerald said.

His next partnership proved considerably more successful.

Fitzgerald joined Victor Perez, and the pair won the 2019 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship after working together in just four tournaments.

Perez also highlighted the value of Fitzgerald’s experience.

Fitzgerald later worked with Belgian golfer Thomas Detry, with reports placing him in that role from 2022 onward. However, he was no longer on Detry’s bag when the latter won the 2025 WM Phoenix Open.

Available reporting has not clearly established his current regular assignment.

Following the separation, McIlroy turned to another close friend, Harry Diamond, to take over caddie duties.

Diamond initially joined him temporarily for the 2017 Bridgestone Invitational and PGA Championship. Rory McIlroy suggested the arrangement could last two weeks or potentially longer.

After losing to Bryson DeChambeau at Pinehurst, McIlroy faced criticism over his decisions during the closing holes. Some analysts, including Hank Haney and Smylie Kaufman, questioned Diamond’s role, particularly around the club selection on the 15th hole.

McIlroy strongly defended his caddie when addressing the criticism at the Genesis Scottish Open. In fact, he is having a very good time with Diamond.

Whether Rory McIlroy and Fitzgerald ever rebuilt their personal connection remains unclear. What is clear is that their separation was considerably more complicated than the simple explanation offered in 2017.