Rory McIlroy has returned to Augusta National Golf Club this week looking to defend his Masters title. The 36-year-old secured a long-awaited Green Jacket last year to complete the career Grand Slam, but there were many ups and downs on the road to that point, both professionally and personally.
McIlroy’s nine-year marriage to Eric Stoll has been far from straightforward. Even the way in which the pair got close was particularly chaotic. Stoll was forced to organise a police escort for McIlroy during the 2012 Ryder Cup after his alarm didn’t go off, having first met the Northern Irishman the previous year as she worked at the PGA.
Stoll and McIlroy were friends for a few years, with the latter calling off his engagement to tennis star Caroline Wozniacki in 2014, before going public with Stoll the following year. The pair married in April 2017 and, just over three years later, welcomed their first child together, Poppy Kenney McIlroy.
However, fans were left shocked by McIlroy filing for divorce in May 2024 as he claimed at the time their marriage was « irretrievably broken. » Despite such a statement, McIlroy filed a Notice of Voluntary Dismissal of the divorce petition just a month later, before explaining his reasons for doing so.
In a statement to the Guardian, he said: « There have been rumours about my personal life recently, which is unfortunate. Responding to each rumour is a fool’s game. Over the past weeks, Erica and I have realised that our best future was as a family together. Thankfully, we have resolved our differences and look forward to a new beginning. »
A major life update for McIlroy and Stoll also emerged last year as they prepared to move into a new mansion on the Wentworth estate in Surrey. They had lived in Florida since 2017, but Stoll’s wish to live in the UK was finally granted after major renovations were completed in October 2025, allowing them to move in.
Stoll prefers to stay out of the spotlight but was in attendance for McIlroy’s two big golfing triumphs last year in the Masters and at the Ryder Cup. In the immediate aftermath of the former, Stoll was captured embracing Kate Rose, the wife of Justin Rose, who McIlroy had just defeated in a thrilling play-off.
McIlroy also opts to keep a small group of friends and is particularly close with fellow golfer Shane Lowry, especially as the duo were neighbours in Florida. His caddie, Harry Diamond, is also firmly in that circle as McIlroy’s best friend.
Source link
