Rory McIlroy appeared relaxed as he took to the green following the announcement that he was divorcing his wife Erica Stoll.
The PGA Tour standout and four-time major winner appeared serene and cheerful on the driving range at Valhalla ahead of the PGA Championship, which begins on Thursday.
Diamond served as McIlroy’s best man at his 2017 wedding to Stoll, which was a celebrity-packed celebration at Ashford Castle in County Mayo, Ireland. McIlroy appeared unconcerned about the past as he hit the green on Wednesday, laughing with his squad.
Following his triumph at the Wells Fargo Championship last weekend, McIlroy filed for divorce in Palm Springs County, Florida, claiming that his marriage had become “irretrievably destroyed.”
The Northern Irishman, whose career earnings total around £69 million ($87 million), first met Erica, a 35-year-old New York state native, during a tournament in Illinois where she was working for the PGA.
McIlroy and Stoll have a three-year-old daughter, Poppy Kennedy, who was born in 2020. They married in 2017 following a storybook meeting at the 2012 Ryder Cup.
He earlier praised the American with assisting him in making his tee time at Medinah, thanks to a police escort, after missing his alarm.
He went on to defeat Keegan Bradley in what became known as the “miracle at Medinah.”
Despite meeting at the Ryder Cup that year, the duo would not start a relationship until a few years later.
McIlroy and Stoll met a few months after calling off his engagement to tennis star Caroline Wozniacki in 2014, and they became engaged a year later.
The four-time major champion and Stoll kept their romance mostly private until they married in a grandiose wedding in Ireland in 2017.
The couple married at Ashford Castle in County Mayo, Ireland, in front of prominent guests such as One Direction’s Niall Horan and Coldplay’s Chris Martin, with music luminaries Ed Sheeran and Stevie Wonder performing at the occasion.
The petition for divorce alleges that the couple signed a prenuptial agreement. However, the specifics of the arrangement have not been disclosed.
McIlroy’s lawyer was named Thomas Sasser, who also represented Tiger Woods when his wife divorced him in 2010.
Poppy will also receive shared custody and a parenting plan, according to the document.
McIlroy is scheduled to talk with the media on Wednesday afternoon at Valhalla, where he was spotted practicing today. His team made a statement on his behalf.
McIlroy’s manager, Sean O’Flaherty, stated in a statement: “Rory McIlroy’s communications team verified today that a divorce has been filed.”
‘They emphasized Rory’s desire to make this tough period as polite and pleasant as possible.’
He stated that there will be no further comment.
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Rory McIlroy returns to Valhalla to practice for the 2024 PGA Championship after filing for divorce from wife Erica Stoll.
They are thought to have lived at a 12,800-square-foot, £7.6 million ($9.5 million) property in Jupiter, Florida, the golfing hub where many professionals dwell, after McIlroy sold his luxurious Palm Beach Gardens mansion in 2018 for £9.5 million ($11.9 million).
According to reports, the house originally belonged to golf legend Ernie Els.
Erica has frequently been seen cheering on her PGA husband in competitions, including the 2023 Ryder Cup in Rome, when she looked magnificent in a strapless black gown on the Spanish Steps.
She was also on McIlroy’s bag at the Masters Par-3 competition in 2023, alongside their daughter Poppy. However, the McIlroys were conspicuously absent from the regular annual celebration.
Erica grew up in New York and earned a marketing degree from Rochester Institute of Technology in 2008. She went on to work with the Professional Golfers Association of America.
She was at The Players in March, when the PGA Tour published a beautiful video of her and Poppy welcoming McIlroy on the 18th green.
The golfer was seen pulling his daughter into his arms for a hug, with Erica informing him that she had been following his birdie-birdie finish.
Erica was also seen helping Rory in the second season of the Netflix series Full Swing, which followed the 2023 PGA Tour.
Scenes showed her calming Rory down after an outburst and kissing him when Team Europe claimed the lead in last year’s Ryder Cup.
McIlroy notably broke from tennis star Caroline Wozniacki in 2014, two months before their wedding.
The golfer reportedly dumped his then-fiancée in a three-minute phone call hours after telling her he loved her. They split in May 2014, just before their wedding in November.
Hugs for Dad after the round 🥹
Poppy and Erica were excited to see @McIlroyRory after his birdie-birdie-birdie finish @THEPLAYERS. pic.twitter.com/hUrbHB45JA
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 16, 2024
McIlroy split from Wozniacki just days before the BMW PGA Championship in England, which he went on to win. He finished tied for 96th place in the same event the year before.
He stated in a statement at the time that he was not ready for marriage, and while he promised not to make any additional comments, he did answer questions at a news conference held ahead of the event.
McIlroy, looking weary and distraught, said in 2014: “Obviously (it’s) quite a difficult time for Caroline and myself, and I think the statement really said it all this morning.”
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Rory McIlroy stuck in the rough: In 2024, the golfer experienced poor form, a ban from the PGA board, a suspected feud with Tiger Woods, and a divorce from wife Erica Stoll.
‘It was consensual and friendly, and we both believed it was best for us. Time to move on, and I believe I’ve said everything I need to say.
He also won two major events that year, the Open in July at Royal Liverpool and the PGA Championship in August at Valhalla, the same course as this week’s tournament.
Rumors circulated that Rory was dating Suits actress Meghan Markle after they were seen hanging out in a video released on her social media pages.
At the time, the golfer assisted the actress in taking part in the Ice Bucket Challenge, a viral social media movement to raise awareness for motor neurone illness.
The two also reportedly had a late-night rendezvous together, drinking at a posh New York City hotel before dining at renowned celebrity hotspot Cipriani.
However, the 2014 PGA Championship was McIlroy’s last major triumph, after a decade-long drought and failing to complete the career Grand Slam.
It’s an eerily identical pattern for the golfer, who won his 26th PGA Tour event with his fourth Wells Fargo Championship victory at Quail Hollow last weekend.
When asked if he planned to go directly to Valhalla on Sunday night, McIlroy replied, “I’ll probably go home and sort of reset, then head up to Louisville tomorrow night or Tuesday morning.”
Two weeks before, he won the Zurich Classic with friend and Ryder Cup colleague Shane Lowry, and the two celebrated their victory with an impromptu version of Journey’s ‘Don’t Stop Believing’.
Rory McIlroy has arrived on-site here at Valhalla. pic.twitter.com/S41eTWRK6c
— Paul Hodowanic (@PaulHodowanic) May 14, 2024
The news of his break with Stoll comes at a difficult moment for McIlroy, who recently had his request to rejoin the PGA Tour Policy Board refused.
He left the board late last year for personal and professional reasons, but was anticipated to succeed Webb Simpson when he returned.
Three of the remaining five player directors, including Woods, Patrick Cantlay, Peter Malnati, Adam Scott, and Jordan Spieth, voted against the plan.
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Rory McIlroy fans draw parallels between Erica Stoll’s divorce and Caroline Wozniacki’s 2014 separation (article image).
According to reports, Woods, a long-time McIlroy ally, was one of those who voted against the four-time major winner’s membership, with the vote 3-2 to reject the 35-year-old from the board.
According to reports, Patrick Cantlay was one of the other members who opposed McIlroy’s comeback. The identity of the third dissenter remains unknown.
McIlroy was an early critic of the Saudi Public Investment Fund-funded LIV Golf tournament, which has faced allegations of sportswashing, but he has since modified his stance on the breakaway circuit.
Jimmy Dunne, one of the architects of the PGA’s first arrangement with the Saudi Public Investment Fund, resigned from the policy board yesterday, citing a lack of substantial progress.
Last week, McIlroy downplayed claims of a strained relationship with golf great Woods, with whom he is pioneering new golfing company TGL.
‘I believe friends may differ or not agree on certain issues,’ McIlroy added.
We had a great 45-minute conversation on Friday regarding a variety of topics. No, there is no strain there.
‘I believe we may see the future of golf differently, but that should not put a pressure on a relationship or a friendship.’
Woods remarked of disagreements among policy board members: ‘I believe we see things differently. But, as a whole, we want to see what’s best for all of the players, spectators, and the game of golf.
‘How we get there is up to us, but the fact that we’re all in this together and fighting to improve golf is what it’s all about.’