Rory McIlroy files for divorce from wife, Erica, after seven years of marriage

Golfer Rory McIlroy has filed for divorce from his wife Erica Stoll after seven years of marriage.

McIlroy filed divorce papers in Palm Beach, Florida, on Monday, according to TMZ Sports.

In a statement to The independent, the 35-year-old golfer’s representatives confirmed that the divorce had been filed. They “highlighted Rory’s desire to make this difficult time as respectful and friendly as possible,” adding that he would make no further comment.

The couple met in 2012, when Ms Stoll was working as the PGA’s transport manager. Mr McIlroy and Ms Stoll began dating in 2014 after he called off his engagement to tennis superstar Caroline Wozniacki the day after they sent out their wedding invitations.

They married in 2017 and have a three-year-old daughter, Poppy Kennedy McIlroy.

The divorce filing was filed a day after Mr McIlroy, who represents Northern Ireland, won the Wells Fargo Championship and just days before the PGA Championship. He was seen practicing at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky on Tuesday morning.

The world number two said Sky Sports News after the four-day tournament, he felt good before the PGA Championship.

“Coming into this week, on a golf course that I’m comfortable with, my golf swing is more comfortable than before,” he said. “Going to a place next week where I won, I feel like the stars are aligning a little bit. But I have a lot of golf to play and a lot of great players to try to beat.

“I’m heading into the next major tournament of the year feeling really good about myself,” he said on Sunday.

The couple’s separation comes amid chaos in the golf world created by the launch of the Saudi-funded tour, LIV Golf. McIlroy has been a central figure over the past two years, harshly criticizing LIV, then changing his mind and pushing for some form of reunification.

He resigned from the PGA Tour board last November, then participated in a plan to join the board, replacing American golfer Webb Simpson, a seven-time PGA Tour winner.

The move was met with resistance from other player managers. Instead, McIlroy was named to a committee negotiating with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund to potentially become a minority investor.