Being married to a sports star whose job takes them all over the world isn’t as glamorous as it seems.
According to reports, Erica Stoll, the estranged wife of golf superstar Rory McIlroy, reached “a breaking point” in the couple’s seven-year marriage before divorce papers were filed last week.
“A point of contention in Rory’s marriage with Erica was that Erica was lonely in their marriage,” a source told Us Weekly. “Rory was a hard person to be married to.”
McIlroy and Stoll, a former publicist, “were living very different lives the last two years with him being on the road, and eventually she had a breaking point,” the source said.
The tipping point reportedly began when they had their daughter, Poppy, in August 2020, leading to a shift in her priorities while he travelled on the PGA Tour.
“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 told Us Weekly. “Erica was usually absent for most of his tournaments and was really focused on Poppy.”
Stoll was noticeably missing from the Masters tournament last month.
In the divorce filings, McIlroy is asking for split custody of their now three-year-old daughter.
McIlroy’s team released a statement last week ahead of the PGA Championship that “stressed Rory’s desire to ensure this difficult time is as respectful and amicable as possible.”
At a news conference ahead of the tournament, he steered clear of divorce talk.
However, one reporter did wade close to the topic, asking McIlroy how he was doing on a personal level.
“I’m ready to play this week,” the golfer succinctly answered.
The four-time major champ was spotted without his wedding ring during the tournament while Stoll reportedly has not been wearing her engagement ring but still sports her wedding band, according to the Daily Mail.
The Northern Irishman, who last won the PGA Championship in 2014, shot 12-under par for the tournament, finishing in a tie for 12th place.
He was nine strokes back of first-time major winner Xander Schauffele.
McIlroy is set to take a week off from tournament play before returning next week at the RBC Canadian Open, which runs from May 28 through June 2 at Hamilton Golf and Country Club.