Rory McIlroy successfully defended his Masters title, winning his second consecutive green jacket. As defending champion, he hosted the annual Champions Dinner at Augusta National on Tuesday evening, with his wife Erica Stoll attending alongside him. The following day, McIlroy and his family participated in the Masters Family Day tradition, playing three holes of golf together.
In May 2024, McIlroy filed for divorce from Erica Stoll, stating the marriage was 'irretrievably broken.' The couple has a daughter named Poppy, born in 2020. They first met at the 2012 Ryder Cup, where Stoll worked for the PGA of America, and married in 2017 at Ashford Castle in Ireland.
Holly and I have been together since I had just turned 16 and she was 14. She knows me better than basically anyone else in this world does, apart from my parents. And to have someone like that with you is very grounding.
A new book about Rory McIlroy titled 'Rory: The Heartache And Triumph Of Golf's Most Human Superstar' by Alan Shipnuck was published on Tuesday. According to Shipnuck's book, McIlroy was actively pursuing Erica Stoll when they met at the 2012 Ryder Cup, while he was still in a relationship with tennis star Caroline Wozniacki. McIlroy dated Wozniacki from 2011 to 2014, and they were engaged in 2013 before he called off the engagement.
Shipnuck's book also claims that Tiger Woods would send Rory McIlroy late-night text messages, sometimes at 4 a.m., which annoyed Erica Stoll. The book addresses long-running unsubstantiated rumors that McIlroy had a romantic involvement with golf reporter Amanda Balionis, but concludes the relationship was not romantic. Paul McGinley claimed in Shipnuck's book that Padraig Harrington's wife Caroline would have been a more suitable partner for Rory McIlroy than Erica Stoll.
She’s obviously my girlfriend but she’s also become my best friend over the past few years. I can say things to her that I wouldn’t be able to say to anyone else.
McIlroy is a co-founder of TMRW Sports and the TGL golf league with Tiger Woods. He is sponsored by Omega watches.
Tiger Woods was absent from the Masters tournament. Erica Stoll wore a Patek Philippe watch worth $100,000 during the Masters final round and a $95,000 Patek Philippe watch during the Par 3 contest.
The problem is mine. The wedding invitations issued at the weekend made me realize that I wasn’t ready for all that marriage entails. I wish Caroline all the happiness she deserves and thank her for the great times we’ve had.
According to a source close to the couple, McIlroy reconsidered divorce because he realized splitting would limit time with his daughter Poppy.
It is quite a difficult time for Caroline and myself, and the statement really said it all this morning. It was mutual, and we both thought it was the best for us, the best for both of us. Time to move on, and I’ve said all that I need to say.
He struggles to sleep, which I think is an effect of over-training, so I tell him to calm down sometimes. He'd be texting me at four o'clock in the morning: 'Up lifting. What are you doing?' Erica actually got p****d off with it. He was texting me in the middle of the night, and I was like, 'Tiger is in the gym.'
I'm drawn to him, yeah. He's an intriguing character because you could spend two hours in his company and see four different sides to him. He's thoughtful. He's smart. He can't sleep, so that's all he does - he reads stuff and educates himself on everything.
He has been an idol and a hero of mine over the years, and I feel pretty lucky that I've gotten to know him more intimately than some. And he is so passionate about what we're doing. He realises that the PGA Tour gave him a platform to build his brand and let him be who he is, and he has tremendous respect for the people who have come before us. Having his influence and having his counsel, not just myself but all of the players on the PGA Tour, he's a great advocate to have, and it's awesome to be doing these things with him. I have to pinch myself pretty much every day that I'm in this position.
We have resolved our differences and look forward to a new beginning. We have realised that our best future was as a family together.
The short-lived divorce proceedings and hasty reconciliation said more about him than her. If you are an internationally famous athlete heading toward becoming a billionaire, it is probably unwise to file for divorce unless you are one million percent certain there is zero chance to save the marriage. But McIlroy's life has been defined by impetuousness, on the golf course and in matters of business and romance. The recklessness is part of what makes him appealing.
He's always the first. Always. Tiger. Like, he'll text you, like, before the last putt drops. Always the first. He's unreal.
Full disclosure, I changed my number two days after the U.S. Open, so I didn't get it until he told me about it today. I was like, 'Oh, thanks very much.' So, I blanked Tiger Woods, which is probably not a good thing.
Tiger has been nothing but incredible to me over the course of my career in the good moments and the bad. He sent me an incredible message after [The Open at] St. Andrews in 2022. I met Tiger when I was 15 years old, and I've built up a great relationship with him, his whole family. ... I caught up with him earlier. It's always nice when your hero and the guy that you had on your bedroom wall is reaching out and offering words of encouragement.
It can't be easy being Rory's wife. I'm sure it's not easy for her because she's quiet by nature. Caroline Harrington would have been perfect as Rory's wife. She (Caroline) loves Padraig being a professional golfer more than Padraig loves being a professional golfer. But Erica is quiet and she kind of keeps her thoughts to herself. She's had to find where she fits in and where she doesn't.
Thank you first and foremost my wife and daughter, Erica and Poppy. They have to put up with me at home and trust me, sometimes that's a tough thing to do. But they have been my biggest supporters.
I've sort of tried to adopt the strategy that I don't want a lot of sponsors, but there are a few very big global brands that can reach out to different parts of the world. It's a great fit.
Jag får säga åt honom att lugna sig ibland.