“Poppy picked it for me,” Rory McIlroy said with a warm smile, gently holding a little red flower that his adorable daughter Poppy had thoughtfully given him right after he won the tournament. He further added, “She gave it to me just after I won. I think there was one more flower in it, but it disintegrated in my back pocket. But she, she gave it to me.” The sweet gesture clearly touched McIlroy’s heart, and fans? Well, they had to say a few words as well.

That heartwarming moment was just the cherry on top of an incredible day for Rory McIlroy. The 35-year-old golfer from Northern Ireland had just won THE PLAYERS Championship 2025 at TPC Sawgrass, topping J.J. Spaun in a thrilling three-hole aggregate playoff. It was McIlroy’s second PLAYERS title and his 28th PGA Tour win, and the victory was clearly made even sweeter by the presence of his loved ones.

As McIlroy stepped off the green to celebrate, his wife Erica Stoll and daughter Poppy were waiting for him with big smiles. The reunion was a beautiful moment, with Poppy handing her dad the special flower that she had picked out just for him, as she got a sweet forehead kiss in return. How cute is that!

And though Amanda Balionis, a CBS reporter, wasn’t present at THE PLAYERS Championship as she is enjoying her time off, still showed her appreciation for the golfer’s heartwarming moment with his 4-year-old daughter. She liked the post made by the official Instagram account of the PGA Tour in collaboration with THE PLAYERS. It was a moment that McIlroy will surely treasure forever, and a reminder that even in the midst of intense competition, family is always the greatest prize.

Well, fans are reacting to the sweet gesture with wholesome comments so let’s see what they have to say.

Netizens send love and congratulations to Rory McIlroy and family

Golf fans are generally very hard to impress but the pictures of McIlroy and his daughter are breaking the internet. One fan commented, “This right here is what it’s truly about,” while the other one wrote, “Good to see the whole family back together again.” Well, the reason why fans are so happy to see Rory McIlroy and his wife Erica Stoll together is that the couple has overcome a very public rough patch, having filed for divorce ahead of the 2024 PGA Championship, only to reconcile and scrap the divorce just a few months later.

In a candid interview on the Netflix series Full Swing, McIlroy opened up about the experience, saying “Thankfully, everything has worked out for the best and we’re happy and moving forward and can’t wait for what lies ahead.” The couple’s reconciliation was made official in June 2024, when a motion was filed to “voluntarily dismiss” the divorce petition, and since then, McIlroy has shared sweet moments with his wife on social media, including a photo of her cheering him on at a golf tournament, leaving fans thrilled to see the couple happy and together again.

One fan commented, “The flower is better than that trophy 🥺,” while the other wrote, “She looks literally exactly like him!” Well, this isn’t the first time Poppy has stolen the show on one of McIlroy’s wins – the adorable 4-year-old congratulated her dad with a sweet “Congratulations, Papa!” after his recent victory at Pebble Beach. Poppy, who was born in August 2020, previously captured hearts with a viral video from 2023, where she refused to hug her dad after he won the Scottish Open and instead ran away, leaving everyone in stitches.

One fan said something that we think everyone would agree with as they wrote, “Be loyal to the one who is loyal to you🧡✨”, and well, being loyal to his family has served McIlroy right. What are your thoughts on the golfer’s wholesome family moment? Let us know in the comment section below!