Rory McIlroy’s split with his wife of seven years, Erica Stoll, came out of nowhere for many.
The PGA Tour star filed for divorce from Stoll, stating the marriage was “irretrievably broken” in documents filed Monday in Florida. The pair also have a prenup.
“Their split comes right out of the blue and no one saw it coming,” a source told The Sun. “The timing is very odd with Rory about to take part in a tournament but perhaps he wanted to get things tied up before it started.
“Ironically, Rory is in some of the best form of his life so whatever has been going on behind the scenes has not affected him at all.”
The 35-year-old Northern Irishman is set to play in the PGA Championship — the second major of the season this week — which will take place at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville.
McIlroy was seen practicing at the Valhalla driving range after the news of the couple’s split leaked on Tuesday.
McIlroy is coming off consecutive wins at the Zurich Classic, where he was partnered with Shane Lowry, and at the Wells Fargo Championship.
McIlroy’s communications team confirmed Tuesday that a divorce had been filed.
A statement from Sean O’Flaherty, the pro’s manager, “stressed Rory’s desire to ensure this difficult time is as respectful and amicable as possible.”
His camp said he would not be commenting further on the matter.
McIlroy’s divorce filing also asked for split custody of his and Stoll’s 3-year-old daughter, Poppy, whom they welcomed in August 2020.
It’s unclear what exactly led to the end of McIlroy and Stoll’s marriage.
The four-time major winner proposed to the then-publicist in Paris in December 2015 — and they went on to tie the knot at Ashford Castle in Ireland in April 2017.
Stoll was a mainstay at McIlroy’s tournaments throughout their relationship — she attended the Ryder Cup in 2016 (Minnesota), 2018 (Paris), 2021 (Wisconsin) and 2023 (Rome), and the 2023 Masters — but was noticeably absent at the Masters last month.