Rory McIlroy’s caddie, Harry Diamond, was spotted wearing the number 89 on his white jumpsuit at the Masters this week – meaning McIlroy was officially the last player to register for the tournament at Augusta National.
Caddies at the Masters wear white jumpsuits with different numbers on their chest. The number, which is one of the Masters’ many traditions, is based on the order that the players register at the Augusta National clubhouse.
There is an exception, however, with the defending Masters champion always taking the number one no matter when they register. Jon Rahm’s caddie, Adam Hayes, has that honor this year.
It means that McIlroy was, in fact, the very last player to officially register himself this year, earning him and his caddie the number 89 out of 89 players in the field.
Jason Day was the first player to register this year, meaning his caddie Luke Reardon earned the number two on his jumpsuit.
McIlroy only arrived at Augusta National on Tuesday after competing at the Valero Texas Open last weekend, and almost immediately went to his scheduled pre-tournament press conference. It represented a change in strategy for the Northern Irishman, who also skipped the Par 3 Contest on Wednesday.
"I just drove in probably 30 minutes ago," he said, before explaining his approach towards the week.
“I usually try to get into tournaments either Monday nights or Tuesday mornings, and that’s sort of what I’ve done this week. I came up here last week to play two practice rounds at the start of the week. So I feel like I’ve already got most of my prep work done. So it’s just about going out there and being relaxed and being in the right frame of mind. And the more I can do that, the more I’ll be able to execute on the golf course.”
McIlroy has worked with Diamond, his childhood friend, since 2017 after the Norhern Irishman parted ways with his previous long-standing caddie JP Fitzgerald.
It was initially meant to be a temporary partnership, but McIlroy opted to stay with Diamond and the duo has been together ever since – aside from a brief period when another one of his friends, Niall O'Connor, took the bag in 2022.
