Rory McIlroy fires caddie J.P. Fitzgerald, according to report

A season of change continues for Rory McIlroy, who has now reportedly parted ways with longtime caddie J.P. Fitzgerald. A Reuters report early Monday morning cited a source saying Rory had “sacked” Fitzgerald and that a new looper was expected on the bag for this week’s WGC Bridgestone Invitational in Akron.

Fitzgerald has been on the bag for nine years and all four of Rory’s majors. The former world No. 1 and current world No. 3 defended his bagman at almost every turn. But there had been increased scrutiny on Fitzgerald in recent months, especially as Rory struggled over the summer. One of those anonymous roundtables of fellow golf pros, caddies, and insiders, according to a report in Golf Digest before the Masters, was especially harsh on Fitzgerald (“Why he doesn’t employ Billy Foster is a mystery. Rory would have 10 majors by now if he did.”)

There have been more puzzled looks and frustrated sighs this summer for McIlroy, who changed from Nike to (mostly) Callaway and then to TaylorMade equipment. The deal with TaylorMade is a long-term one and was also a big change that came right in the middle of the season during Players Championship week. Rory cited struggles controlling his ball in the wind as a big reason for the move to TaylorMade’s stuff, but there’s not been much improvement since the switch.

The caddie change comes at the start of another one of those critical stretches on the golf calendar, with a WGC title and the season’s final major coming in the next two weeks and then the lucrative FedExCup, where Rory is defending champ, coming shortly thereafter. Rory is the co-favorite for the PGA at Quail Hollow, a venue where he’s dominated in his career and is expected to feast again in pursuit of a fifth major.

It’s not the most surprising move, given different rumblings this summer about a possible change, but the timing at the start of a two-week WGC and PGA Championship run instead of the upcoming offseason is a bit unexpected. Of course, we just watched Phil Mickelson split with his 25-year bagman, Jim “Bones” Mackay, in the dead middle of summer.

The Mickelson move came as a much bigger surprise. Meanwhile, expect the Rory-Bones partnership rumors to hit full roar. Bones is one of, if not the most respected caddie in the game and Rory is one of, if not the most coveted bag in the game. It’s still not clear who Rory will have on the bag for the WGC Bridgestone this week, but it could be a temporary interim solution to get through the end of this season.