Rory McIlroy and wife Erica Stoll’s divorce reportedly did not come as a shock to some within their inner circle as an insider has made a damning claim about the PGA Tour star’s marriage.
‘A point of contention in Rory’s marriage with Erica was that Erica was lonely in their marriage,’ an insider told Us Weekly. ‘Rory was a hard person to be married to.’
McIlroy, 35, filed to end his marriage to Stoll, 36, on May 13 after seven years of marriage, fresh off his latest victory at the Wells Fargo Championship.
The news of the split came as a surprise with the bombshell filing coming just three days before the PGA Championship, the second major of the year, at Valhalla Golf Club.
However, the source close to the couple has now revealed to US Weekly that their marriage had hit ‘breaking point’.
Rory McIlroy and Erica Stoll’s marriage had reportedly hit ‘breaking point’
The PGA Tour professional filed for divorce last week after seven years of marriage
The couple had been ‘living separate lives’ due to McIlroy’s life on the PGA Tour
They added that the couple were reportedly living separate lives for the past two years due to the PGA Tour star being away from home for tournaments with Stoll eventually reaching ‘breaking point.’
McIlroy and Stoll, who married in 2017, share a daughter Poppy, 3, who they welcomed in 2020.
After becoming a mother, Stoll is said to have thrown herself into parenthood, making Poppy her priority, especially when hit came to McIlroy’s PGA Tour lifestyle on the road.
‘She knew what she was getting into with his profession, but once they had Poppy, things really changed and she had a new perspective,’ the source added.
‘Erica was usually absent for most of his tournaments and was really focused on Poppy.’
McIlroy broke his silence on the split last Tuesday through his communications team, who issued a brief statement to confirm he had filed for divorce. They stressed Rory’s desire to ensure the process is ‘as respectful and amicable as possible’.
But the four-time major winner refused to address the breakup of his marriage ahead of last week’s PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club.
24 hours after the news filtered out, McIlroy addressed the media, who had been warned by a moderator that ‘he will not be making any additional comments on his private life’.
A source told US Weekly that New York state native Stoll had become ‘lonely’ in the marriage
The couple share a three-year-old daughter Poppy, who was born in 2020 (McIlroy, Poppy and Stoll pictured in 2023)
Stoll is said to have thrown herself into parenthood, making Poppy her priority
Erica was on McIlroy’s bag for the Masters Par-3 event with their daughter Poppy in 2023
The closest anyone got to the fringes of that discussion was to ask how he was doing. McIlroy, spotting the subtext, offered just six words in response: ‘I’m ready to play this week.’
But the Northern Irishman failed to replicate his success of 2014 when he won his last major at Valhalla. He finished tied-12th, nine shots back of first-time major winner Xander Schauffele.
McIlroy, whose career earnings total nearly $87million, first met New York state native Erica during the 2012 Ryder Cup at Medinah in Illinois, at which she was working for the PGA.
He has previously credited the American with helping him make his tee time at Medinah – thanks to a police escort – after he missed his alarm.
He went on to win his match over Keegan Bradley as part of what was later hailed as the ‘miracle at Medinah’.
Despite initially meeting at the Ryder Cup that year, it wasn’t until a few years later that the pair would enter a relationship
A few months after calling off his engagement with tennis star Caroline Wozniacki in 2014, McIlroy and Stoll got together before getting engaged a year later.
The four-time major champion and Stoll kept their relationship largely private before they married in a lavish ceremony in Ireland in 2017.
Stoll, who previously worked for the PGA, is said to ‘usually be absent’ from his events
McIlroy finished tied-12th at the PGA Championship, nine back of winner Xander Schauffele
The report of his split with Stoll comes amid a tumultuous time for McIlroy after his attempt to return to the PGA Tour Policy Board was vetoed.
He had quit the board late last year citing personal and professional reasons, but had been expected to replace Webb Simpson upon his return.
But three of the five remaining player directors – which comprises of Woods, Patrick Cantlay, Peter Malnati, Adam Scott and Jordan Spieth – voted against the move.
Reports suggest Woods, a long-standing ally of McIlroy’s, was one of those who voted against the four-time major winner’s inclusion, with the votes being cast 3-2 for the 35-year-old to be excluded from the board.
Patrick Cantlay is said to be one of the other members who resisted McIlroy’s return. The third dissenter is not yet known.
McIlroy split from tennis star Caroline Wozniacki in 2014 months before they were due to wed
‘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 at a Sunday, May 12, 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 had followed up his team success alongside friend and Ryder Cup teammate Shane Lowry at the Zurich Classic in New Orleans last month with his triumph at Quail Hollow in Charlotte, North Carolina for the Wells Fargo Championship – one of the PGA Tour’s $20million signature events.
However, he failed to end his 10-year major championship drought in Louisville, Kentucky where Schauffele, Bryson DeChambeau and Viktor Hovland provided a thrilling Sunday shootout.
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