Rory McIlroy Divorce U-Turn: After Reports Called Him ‘A Hard Person’ to Be With, Golfer Vows to Start Anew With Wife Erica Stoll

Rory McIlroy and  Erica Stoll appear to be back on track. A month back, the Ulsterman filed for divorce with his wife Erica Stoll in a Palm Beach court. Reports emerged that his focus on LIV Golf and the PGA Tour merger had taken a chunk out of his family time, leading to a growing distance between the couple. 

An insider source also told US Weekly,  “Rory was a hard person to be married to,” and Stoll was ‘lonely’. Apparently, she tried to focus more on their daughter 3-year-old daughter, Poppy. However, the divorce petition has been dismissed voluntarily, now.

McIlroy has kept mum about his personal life so far, avoiding taking any questions on his divorce. But, ahead of the U.S. Open, the four-time major winner clarified a few things. “Over the past weeks, Erica and I have realized that our best future was as a family together. Thankfully, we have resolved our differences and look forward to a new beginning,“ the Guardian quoted McIlroy.

The 35-year-old avoided sparking any controversy by responding to specific rumors about his marriage, calling them ‘unfortunate.’ Rory McIlroy said, “There have been rumors about my personal life recently, which is unfortunate. Responding to each rumor is a fool’s game.”  

In the divorce petition filed on May 13, a day after his Wells Fargo Championship triumph, the marriage was dubbed as irretrievably broken. McIlroy and Stoll have been together since 2014 and tied the knot in 2017. Previously, the Northern Irishman has called Stoll a ‘calming presence’ in his life. 

“She is a very low-key person, not the kind to broadcast stuff, but that side of my life is really good just now. We are excited, our parents are excited so it is a really happy time,” McIlroy told Irish Independent after their engagement. 

The Northern Irishman is currently at Pinehurst No.2 eying his fifth major, which he believes is closer than ever. Rory McIlroy will tee off on Thursday at 1.14 pm EST (6.14 pm BST). Ahead of the third major, this is indeed a positive development in Ulsterman’s personal life. 

Rory McIlroy has been protective about his married life

McIlroy started dating Stoll shortly after his split with Tennis icon, Caroline Wozniacki. The 26-time PGA Tour winner has kept their personal life well-guarded from media attention. In fact, McIlroy only agreed to take part in Netflix’s Full Swing docu-series on condition that the crew wouldn’t film his personal life.

Notably, McIlroy and Stoll didn’t divulge any details about her pregnancy well until the third trimester, per People.com. Poppy Kennedy McIlroy was born on August 31, 2020. Since then the three-year-old and her mother have spotted on the course a couple of times. McIlroy played the par-3 contest at last year’s Masters with Poppy dressed in the white caddie jumpsuit. Stoll and Poppy were also present at this year’s THE PLAYERS Championship. It’s not clear whether she will travel to Pinehurst No.2 this time, however.