Rory McIlroy is reportedly doing some soul searching amid his divorce from wife Erica Stoll.
McIlroy, 35, filed to end his marriage to Stoll, 36, on May 13 after seven years of marriage, just after his last win at the Wells Fargo Championship.
Yet despite his latest win at Quail Hollow, the world No. 3 is focused on returning to winning ways on the course amid his turbulent life off the course.
“He’s just trying to find himself, focus and start winning again,” a source told People, adding that McIlroy, 35, “went through such a winning phase and hasn’t done much during of the last five years.
Divorce is not the Northern Irishman’s only misfortune. He has been the PGA Tour’s most loyal supporter in the battle against LIV Golf.
Rory McIlroy reportedly does some soul-searching amid divorce from wife Erica Stoll
He left the PGA Tour Policy Board late last year for personal and professional reasons, but was expected to replace Webb Simpson when he returned.
But three of the five remaining player managers – including Woods, Patrick Cantlay, Peter Malnati, Adam Scott and Jordan Spieth – voted against the move earlier this month.
“Plus, he put his blood, sweat and tears into defending the PGA against LIV golf for the last two years and it was basically for nothing,” the source said, referring to the merger explosive PGA-LIV that shook the golf world last June.
The source also sympathized with Stoll, pointing out how difficult it is to be the wife of a professional golfer due to his busy schedule and the “parasites” and “beautiful women” that come with it.
“It’s a tough life being a golfer’s wife,” the source said. “They are always there at tournaments and training, there must be a lot of trust.”
“You either have to join them on tour and go with them or just trust them, it’s impossible to expect them to be at home and able to help with the kids,” the source added.
McIlroy and Stoll married in 2017 and share daughter Poppy, 3, whom they welcomed in 2020.
After becoming a mother, Stoll reportedly threw herself into parenthood, making Poppy her priority, especially when McIlroy’s PGA Tour lifestyle took a hit down the road.
McIlroy focused on returning to winning ways amid his turbulent life off the course
The couple share a daughter Poppy, aged three, born in 2020 (McIlroy, Poppy and Stoll pictured in 2023)
“A point of contention in Rory’s marriage to Erica was that Erica felt alone in their marriage,” a source told Us Weekly. “Rory was a difficult person to marry.”
The source close to the couple also revealed that their marriage had reached a “breaking point.”
“She knew what she was getting into with her profession, but once they had Poppy, things really changed and she had a new perspective,” the source added.
“Erica was usually absent during most of her tournaments and was really focused on Poppy.”
McIlroy, whose career PGA Tour earnings total nearly $87 million, first met New York State native Erica at the 2012 Ryder Cup at Medinah in Illinoishas for which she worked for the PGA of America.
He has already credited the American with helping him make his departure in Medinah – thanks to a police escort – after he missed his alarm.
He then won his match against Keegan Bradley in what was later hailed as the “Miracle of Medina”.
Although they initially met at the Ryder Cup that year, it would not be until a few years later that the couple would begin a relationship.
A source told US Weekly that Stoll, originally from New York state, had become “lonely” in the marriage.
Months after calling off his engagement to tennis star Caroline Wozniacki in 2014, McIlroy and Stoll reunited before getting engaged a year later.
The golfer allegedly dumped his then-fiancée, Wozniacki, during a three-minute phone call, hours after telling her he loved her. Their separation took place in May 2014, before their planned wedding in November.
McIlroy’s breakup with Wozniacki came days before the BMW PGA Championship in England, which he won. At the same event the previous year, he tied for 96th place.
Court documents filed in Palm Beach County last week and obtained by DailyMail.com indicate their marriage has been “irretrievably broken down.”
The divorce filing also states that the couple had signed a prenuptial agreement. However, details of the deal were not disclosed.
McIlroy’s lawyer was Thomas Sasser, the same lawyer who represented Tiger Woods when his wife divorced him in 2010.
The filing also requests shared custody and the establishment of a parenting plan for Poppy.
McIlroy broke his silence on the separation on May 14 through his communications team, who released a brief statement confirming that he had filed for divorce. They highlighted McIlroy’s desire to ensure the process was “as respectful and friendly as possible.”
McIlroy split from tennis star Caroline Wozniacki in 2014, months before their wedding.
Stoll, who previously worked for the PGA, is said to be ‘usually absent’ from its events
But the four-time major winner refused to address the breakdown of his marriage ahead of last week’s PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club.
Twenty-four hours after the news leaked, McIlroy addressed the media, which had been warned by a moderator that “he would not make any further comments on his private life.”
The closest I could get to the sidelines of this discussion was asking him 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 tournament at Valhalla. He finished tied for 12th, nine shots behind first major winner Xander Schauffele.
Stoll reportedly stayed at the couple’s $22 million luxury mansion with daughter Poppy while McIlroy traveled to Louisville, Kentucky, for the PGA Championship, despite the split.
McIlroy bought the Jupiter, Florida home, located in the guard-gated Bear’s Club golf community, from golf legend Ernie Els for a whopping $11 million in 2012. It is now believed to be worth double that .
He said in a statement at the time that he wasn’t ready for marriage – and although he said he would make no further comment, he did answer questions at a press conference which followed before the tournament.
He also had two major championship victories that year, the Open at Royal Liverpool in July and the PGA Championship in August at Valhalla – the same course as the same tournament last week.
Stoll reportedly stayed at their $22 million mansion over the weekend with Poppy
McIlroy is pictured with his daughter Poppy McIlroy during the 2023 Masters Par 3 competition
The four-time major champion and Stoll kept their relationship largely private before tying the knot in a lavish ceremony in Ireland in 2017.
McIlroy 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 flagship $20 million 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 shootout on Sunday.
He also did not compete at Colonial for the Charles Schwab Challenge in Texas this week.
