Rory hoping caddy switch will spark him

LOS ANGELES - A slumping Rory McIlroy regrets having to part ways with longtime caddie JP Fitzgerald but said it was the best option as he fights to revive his struggling game.

McIlroy earlier this week axed Fitzgerald, who had been with him for nine seasons and all four of his major championships, the most recent at the PGA Championship three years ago.

"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," McIlroy said on Wednesday as he prepares for the WGC Bridgestone Invitational.