Rory McIlroy has filed for divorce from his wife, Erica Stoll, after seven years of marriage.
The news comes in the same week McIlroy is gunning for glory at the US PGA Championship, which starts on Thursday.
The 35-year-old filed the documents in Florida on Monday, with court records showing the Northern Irishman submitted a ‘petition for dissolution of marriage’.
They also noted that the pair’s relationship is ‘irretrievably broken’.
A spokesperson for McIlroy confirmed the news in a statement which read: “Rory McIlroy’s communications team confirmed today that a divorce has been filed.
“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.”
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McIlroy met Stoll back in 2012 when she was working as an employee for the PGA of America at the Ryder Cup.
Working as a transport official, Stoll arranged a police escort for McIlroy after alarm problems nearly led him to miss his tee time before the famous ‘Miracle of Medinah’.
They married at Ashford Castle in County Mayo, Ireland in 2017, with guests including Stevie Wonder and Ed Sheeran.
The pair have one child together, Poppy, who was born in 2020.
Discussing their first meeting at the Ryder Cup on the Golf Channel, McIlroy said: “Erica that week was always the one that was checking us in and out.
“She was there at transportation, so she was always in the car park over there.
” But yeah, it’s still cool to look around and think about that week, and obviously everything that’s happened since then. It’s pretty cool.”
While engaged to tennis player Caroline Wozniacki at the time, McIlroy and Erica’s relationship became romantic after his engagement to Wozniacki was called off in dramatic circumstances.
Wozniacki revealed McIlroy dumped her in a three-minute phone call, just days after wedding invitations were sent out.
She later said: “I thought at least, you know, I would get a face-to-face or something, but there was nothing. It was just a phone call and I did not hear from him again.”
Fans have noticed similarities between the golfer’s previous split and this current one.
McIlroy’s break-up with Wozniacki came out of the blue on the week of the 2014 BMW PGA at Wentworth, which he went on to win.
The superstar golfer revealed he was ‘not ready for marriage’ and said it was ‘mutual and amicable’.
The split with Wozniacki was also three months before his 2014 PGA Championship triumph at Valhalla, where this year’s event is taking place.
Indeed, McIlroy has been single for all four of his major championship victories.
He cruised a five-shot win at the Wells Fargo Championship last week, one day before filing for divorce from Stoll, and many believe McIlroy is primed to end his ten-year major drought on Sunday.
A seemingly-relaxed McIlroy said the stars appeared to be aligning for him before making the trip to Louisville, where he was seen smiling during practice sessions on Tuesday.
The world no.2 will speak to the media at a press conference on Wednesday afternoon.
Olivia Martin is a dedicated sports journalist based in the UK. With a passion for various athletic disciplines, she covers everything from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis.
