McIlroy tees off at PGA Championship amid divorce from spouse Stoll
Rory McIlroy is underway at the PGA Championship as the Northern Irishman turns his attention back to golf after filing for divorce from wife Erica Stoll.
News of McIlroy’s impending divorce came on the eve of this week’s major championship in Kentucky, where his communications team confirmed he is in the process of splitting from Stoll seven years after they married.
The 35-year-old refused to discuss the topic in a press conference on Wednesday, instead stressing that his only focus is on returning to action at the Valhalla Golf Club.
And amid the drama surrounding his personal life, he teed off on Thursday morning to officially begin his campaign at this year’s PGA Championship.
His opening shot did not go to plan, nevertheless, drifting left of the fairway and into the rough.
Rory McIlroy teed off at the PGA Championship Thursday amid his divorce from wife Erica Stoll
News of McIlroy’s divorce from Stoll (pictured with daughter Poppy) came on the eve of this week’s major championship in Kentucky
The Northern Irishman teed off on Thursday morning and sent his opening drive into the rough
He pulled it back around to score a birdie on his first hole at this week’s championship
McIlroy and Stoll (pictured together at the 2023 Ryder Cup) tied the knot back in 2017
However, he pulled it back around to score a birdie and get off to a solid start at this week’s championship.
McIlroy skipped the PGA Champions dinner just hours after news of his divorce broke on Tuesday, while previous winners such as Tiger Woods, Brooks Koepka and Justin Thomas were there.
He was however seen practicing at Valhalla beforehand, and again on Wednesday, prior to his first round on Thursday.
The four-time major championship is said to have filed the divorce documents on Monday, just three days before the start of the PGA Championship, the second major of the year, and fresh off his latest victory at the Wells Fargo Championship last weekend.
After confirming he had filed for divorce, McIlroy’s communications team stressed his desire to ensure the process is ‘as respectful and amicable as possible’.
Court documents filed in Palm Beach County obtained by DailyMail.com stated their marriage was ‘irretrievably broken’.
The couple, who share a three-year-old daughter Poppy Kennedy born in 2020, tied the knot in 2017 after a storybook meeting at the 2012 Ryder Cup.
McIlroy faced the media on Wednesday but refused to answer questions about the divorce
He was also nowhere to be seen at the PGA Champions dinner (pictured) on Tuesday night
McIlroy, whose career earnings total nearly £69million ($87million), first met 35-year-old New York state native Erica during the tournament 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.
