LIV Golf caddie to Joey Barton over Rory McIlroy claim: "With all due respect, you're talking s----"

Experienced golf caddie Craig Connelly told Joey Barton he was 'talking s----' when the former Premier League footballer suggested Rory McIlroy should sack Harry Diamond despite winning the 2025 Masters. 

McIlroy finally realised his lifetime ambition of winning the coveted green jacket at Augusta National last Sunday.  

His playoff victory over England's Justin Rose was all the more special given his boyhood pal Diamond - whom he met when he was seven years old - was carrying his sticks. 

Diamond has received plenty of criticism over the last decade as the golfer struggled to add to his tally of four majors. 

Barton acknowledged the criticism Diamond has received on his Common Sense podcast. 

But he still believes McIlroy should make the change if he wants to win more major championships than Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods.

"It's gonna sound controversial this," Barton said. "Because I feel sorry for the fella [Diamond] because I know he's had an enormous amount of stick. 

"Harry Diamond his caddie has had an enormous amount of stick. Some of it [has] been justified and some of it not justified. 

"And Rory spoke about that yesterday. They met on the putting green at Holywood Golf Club when he was seven and Rory said I've always looked up to him as his older brother. 

"And I just thought when that - I watched it intently [The Masters] over the first four days, every minute and Rory McIlroy should have absolutely p----- that tournament. 

"It shouldn't have even been close and I think if he had a top and elite caddie - cause yeah it is about the golfer - but it is also about your team. 

"And I'm not saying this fella is s---- cause I don't know well enough. But I was watching stuff and shots he went for and I was going, 'Oh my god what the f--- are you doing.

"And there was interaction between the two of them and he clearly doesn't listen to him. He clearly doesn't respect his opinion on golf because he takes no notice of what he's gonna do. 

Barton referenced the shot McIlroy hit on the par-4 7th during the final round.

McIlroy hit his drive left into the trees and decided to muscle his ball over the Georgia pines through a small gap. 

He later admitted in his tearful news conference that Diamond did not want him to hit the shot. 

Connelly saw the clip of Barton and wrote on X: "Joey, with all due respect, you're talking s----!"

Rory McIlroy defends Harry Diamond

McIlroy spoke of Diamond in his post-round news conference. 

Tearing up, he said: "We've had so many good times together. 

"He's been like a big brother to me the whole way through my life.

"To be able to share this with him after all the close calls that we've had, all the crap that he's had to take from people that don't know anything about the game, yeah, this one is just as much his as it is mine.

"He's a massive part of what I do, and I couldn't think of anyone better to share it with than him."