Rory McIlroy was spotted sans wedding ring days after he filed for divorce from Erica Stoll.
McIlroy, 35, was seen practicing at the Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville on Wednesday, May 15. The golfer was getting ready for the 2024 PGA Championship, which is scheduled to take place in Louisville for Thursday, May 16. McIlroy hit the course with his father to prepare for the big match where McIlroy is the current favorite to win.
Us Weekly confirmed on Tuesday, May 14, that McIlroy filed for divorce from Stoll in Florida after seven years of marriage. According to court documents obtained by the New York Post, McIlroy and Stoll’s marriage was “irretrievably broken” and the pair had a prenup.
After news broke of McIlroy and Stoll’s split, the athlete released a statement. “Rory McIlroy’s communications team confirmed today that a divorce has been filed,” a spokeswoman for McIlroy told Irish Star on Tuesday. “They stressed Rory’s desire to ensure this difficult time is as respectful and amicable as possible. He will not be making any further comment.”
The day before he filed for divorce, McIlroy shared that he performs best on the golf course when he is preoccupied.
“Getting inside the ropes for that four or five hours or whatever it is a day, it’s a nice escape from everything else that’s going on in the world of golf,” McIlroy said during a Sunday, May 12, press conference when asked about the PGA Tour Board. “I don’t mind it. I’ve always been able to compartmentalize pretty well. I seem to, for whatever reason, play very good golf whenever I have a lot of stuff going on.”
McIlroy and Stoll met in 2012 when she was working as a PGA transport official at the Ryder Cup. Stoll helped the golfer get to the tournament after he overslept. At the time, McIlroy was dating tennis player Caroline Wozniacki, whom he got engaged to in 2013. McIlroy allegedly broke up with her via phone call months after the proposal. He was linked to Stoll shortly after the split.
“I have met someone new. She doesn’t play golf, but she is involved with golf,” he told The Times of London in May 2015 referring to Stoll’s role with PGA. “I have known her for three years and we are good friends. … If everything off the golf course is good, it allows you to be better on it as well.”
McIlroy and Stoll tied the knot in April 2017 and their nuptials were attended by several A-Listers including Ed Sheeran, Niall Horan and Chris Martin. Three years later, the now estranged couple welcomed their daughter Poppy in August 2020.