Professional golfer Rory Mcllroy and wife Erica Stoll appear to be back on track following their dramatic divorce U-turn, and it’s not the only time the former number one’s love life hit the headlines.
This week, the Northern Irish golfer opened up about his and Erica’s cosy home life, revealing they were watching romantic period drama Bridgerton together as he prepares for his latest bid to win the Masters. This appears to be a far cry away from where the couple were just one year ago.
Back in May 2024, Rory, 35, and Erica announced they would be filing for divorce after seven years of marriage. But by June, the couple, who share a four-year-old daughter, Poppy, had a change of heart, withdrawing the divorce filing. They now seem to be going strong, with Erica and Poppy on hand to cheer Rory on as he sets his sights on winning his first Masters.
Rory’s life very nearly took a very different direction, however, as he was once set to wed former world number-one tennis star Caroline Wozniacki. Mere days after the wedding invites were posted, however, Rory broke Caroline’s heart .
The former couple were together for three years and were frequently spotted attending each other’s events. Grand Slam champ Caroline, now 34, even occasionally acted as Rory’s caddy. Things appeared to be moving to the next level in December 2013 when Rory got down on bended knee on New Year’s Eve, but sadly, heartbreak was just around the corner.
The golfer reportedly broke up with Caroline during a brutally brief three-minute phone call in 2014, mere months after asking for her hand in marriage.
According to The Times, McIlroy phoned his fiancée to inform her of his intentions with a three-minute call that the Dane initially thought was a joke. Five days later, he went out and won the BMW PGA Championship, but his comments later about the break-up proved the start of a bitter war of words between the estranged pair.
Shortly after the split, Caroline took to Twitter to thank fans for their support. She said: “It’s a hard time for me right now. Thanks for all the sweet messages! Happy I support Liverpool right now because I know I’ll never walk alone.”
Rory then admitted the split was his decision, saying to Mail Online: “There is no right way to end a relationship that has been so important to two people. The problem is mine. The wedding invitations issued at the weekend made me realise 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. I will not be saying anything more about our relationship in any setting.”
Speaking to the Irish Independent in 2017, Rory said: “I thought at the time that being with someone that was in a similar position to you was the obvious answer. But it isn’t because you can never get away from it. You can never detach yourself and try to come back to the real world.”
Caroline tied the knot with former basketball player David Lee in 2019 and now they share two children together, Olivia and James. She often posts adorable updates of their family online. Earlier this year, she gushed over her husband as she wishes him a happy birthday, calling him the “best husband and father we could ever ask for”.
Both Erica and little Poppy were in Dubai for Rory’s season-ending triumph at the DP World Tour Championships in November, and will be there supporting him in Augusta.
When asked about Poppy becoming part of his team, Rory said: “Yeah, look, it definitely makes the lows a little easier to take. The highs are going to be high anyway, but it’s amazing — I think especially after The Players, I think it was the first time that she sort of realised what I did, which was really cool. Also a little scary at the same time.
“Yeah, look, it’s amazing that I can share these things with her and with Erica and — the day after ThePLAYERS, she went into school and there was a couple of kids that had said some stuff to her, and she came home to me that day and said, Daddy, are you famous?
“I said: ‘It depends who you talk to!’ It’s a bit of a double-edged sword. You have to temper the expectations sometimes. “As everyone knows that’s had children, it’s an amazing addition to life, and it’s great that she’s here this week.”
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