On the heels of capturing his fourth Wells Fargo Championship, world No. 2 golfer Rory McIlroy filed for divorce from his wife, Erica Stoll, on Monday, per Golf Digest. The couple married in 2017 and have one daughter together, three-year-old Poppy.
McIlroy's manager Sean O'Flaherty spoke on the golfer's behalf in a statement released on Tuesday.
“Rory McIlroy's communications team confirmed today that a divorce has been filed,” O'Flaherty said, per ESPN. “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.”
A reason for the divorce was not immediately given. Court documents show that McIlroy's attorneys wrote that the marriage is irretrievably broken. The couple signed a prenuptial agreement in March 2017, a month before their wedding.
Not only does the news come after a PGA Tour victory for McIlroy, but on the eve of the PGA Championship which begins on Thursday. McIlroy, a two-time winner of the event, is one of the favorites this year and will be a popular pick to win it considering his recent form.
He is scheduled to speak to the media during his pre-tournament press conference on Wednesday afternoon.
Rory McIlroy's 2024 so far
McIlroy has been busy this year, with the PGA Championship marking his 11th PGA Tour event of 2024. After four consecutive finishes outside the top 20, McIlroy's form has picked up over the last two months with three top 10s and a pair of wins before the midway point of the year.
Before his win over the weekend at the Wells Fargo, McIlroy teamed up with Shane Lowry to grab a victory at the Zurich Classic at the end of April. This is the earliest in a calendar year that McIlroy has two PGA Tour wins since 2015 when he ironically won the Wells Fargo Championship for a second time.
In terms of the “big” tournaments played so far this year, McIlroy hasn’t fared particularly well. He shot four-over through four rounds to finish in a tie for 22nd at the Masters. A month before that he finished tied for 19th at the Players Championship.
Although McIlroy continues to win tournaments and remains toward the top of the FedEx Cup standings and the Official World Golf Ranking, a major title has eluded him for nearly a decade.
This August marks ten years since Rory McIlroy won a major when he secured his second PGA Championship. That win came at Valhalla Golf Club, where the 2024 PGA Championship will be played.
Despite possible distractions off the course, McIlroy has to feel confident heading into this week's tournament. Riding high off a win would be enough, but perhaps the four-time major winner will regain some magic from the same course he achieved his last major triumph.
The cameras will always find Rory McIlroy, but the spotlight will be on him even more so this week given the recent developments in his personal life. We'll see come Sunday if McIlroy is up to the task and back to dominating the PGA Tour.
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