Who Is Rory McIlroy’s Wife? All About Erica Stoll (and What the Pro Golfer ‘Struggled With' During Their Near Split)

Mar. 15, 2025

Photo:Pedro Salado/Getty

Pedro Salado/Getty

Rory McIlroyopened up about his near split from his wife, Erica Stoll, inFull Swingseason 3.

“Their support means the world to me,” McIlroy told reporters, perCNN. “To be able to show Poppy what happened today and maybe some of the reasons why I’m not around all of the time … it’s incredible that they were here with me this week and I’m excited to go celebrate with them.”

He continued, “It’s been quite the year, but I’m super happy with where I am in my career and in my life, and I feel like everything’s worked out the way it was supposed to.”

The year in question included when McIlroyfiled for divorceon May 13, 2024, and then announced that he and Stoll haddecided to stay togetherjust one month later.

This tumultuous time in McIlroy and Stoll’s relationship was explored in Netflix’sFull Swing. In atrailerfor the show’s third season, which premiered on Feb. 25, McIlroy alluded to his near divorce and quick reconciliation with Stoll.

So who is Rory McIlroy’s wife? Here’s everything to know about Erica Stoll and her relationship with the professional golfer.

She’s from New York

Rory McIlroy of Team Europe and wife Erica Stoll arrive at the opening ceremony for the 2023 Ryder Cup at Marco Simone Golf Club on September 28, 2023 in Rome, Italy.Andrew Redington/Getty

Andrew Redington/Getty

Stoll is originally from Irondequoit, N.Y., and was an avid tennis player in high school, according to theDemocrat and Chronicle. After high school, Stoll enrolled at the Rochester Institute of Technology and graduated with a degree in marketing in 2008.

In May 2023, McIlroy returned to Stoll’s hometown to play in the PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club.

She used to work for the PGA

Rory McIlroy celebrates with wife Erica Stoll after winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational in Orlando, Fla.Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty

Stoll previously worked for the PGA of America — a job she knew she wanted straight out of college.

“The way PGA employees present themselves is so admirable and professional. That’s the kind of job I want, and it’s doing something I love,” she told theDemocrat and Chroniclein 2008.

During her time with the organization, Stoll served as an office manager and worked on championship volunteer operations.

She first met McIlroy in 2012 at the Ryder Cup

Rory McIlroy and wife Erica at the 2016 Ryder Cup - Opening Ceremony.David Cannon/Getty

Stoll met McIlroy in 2012 at the Ryder Cup, where she had been working as a PGA transport official. After McIlroy overslept due to a time zone mixup and nearly missed his tee time, Stoll got him a police escort to the course in Medinah, Ill.

McIlory recalled first meeting Stoll during an interview on theGolf Channel.

“Erica that week was always the one that was checking us in and out. She was there at transportation, so she was always in the car park over there. But yeah, it’s still cool to look around and think about that week, and obviously everything that’s happened since then. It’s pretty cool,” he said.

In the years since, Stoll has cheered on McIlroy at the 2016 Ryder Cup in Chaska, Minn.; the 2018 Cup in Paris; the 2021 Cup in Kohler, Wis.; and the 2023 Cup in Rome.

She and McIlroy were just friends at first

KARIM SAHIB/AFP via Getty

Stoll and McIlroy became friends after their initial meeting, but things didn’t turn romantic until 2014. The golf pro had been dating tennis playerCaroline Wozniackiwhen he first met Stoll.McIlroy and Wozniacki got engagedon New Year’s Eve in 2013 butbroke things off a few months later.

Stoll and McIlroy officially started dating in late 2014, but the two kept their relationship quiet and didn’t make many public appearances as a couple at the start.

In May 2015, McIlroy told theTimes of Londonabout his new romance. At the time, he and Stoll had been dating for a little more than six months.

“I am very happy in my love life,” he said. “We haven’t really been putting it out there. She is from America, which is why I like to spend time in Palm Beach … The past six or seven months have been really nice. That part of my life is going great.”

McIlroy proposed to her in Paris

Rory McIlroy of Team Europe and wife Erica attend the Gala Dinner prior to the 2023 Ryder Cup at Marco Simone Golf Club on September 27, 2023 in Rome, Italy.Ross Kinnaird/Getty

Ross Kinnaird/Getty

McIlroy wanted to propose to Stoll in Paris, though the 2015terrorist attack in the citynearly caused the golfer to cancel the trip.

“We had planned to go to Paris since May, we were always going to go,” he told theIrish Independentin 2015. “Then what happened made us unsure what we were going to do. So we decided to go and if we didn’t like it, if we didn’t like the mood of the place, didn’t feel comfortable, we would go somewhere else.”

After arriving, however, McIlroy decided to go through with his proposal as planned.

“We felt comfortable but I still thought at least at the start of the trip, it might make the rest of the trip even better. So we went out for dinner and that was that. It was a nice trip, a nice way to end the year,” he recalled.

She and McIlroy married in 2017

Rory McIlroy and Erica Stoll in Ireland.Rory McIlroy Instagram

McIlroy and Stoll exchanged vows on April 22, 2017, during a lavish ceremony at Ashford Castle in County Mayo, Ireland.

The wedding had very tight security and included several A-list celebrity guests, fromStevie Wonderto actorJamie Dornan, perE! News.

Although there was plenty of buzz surrounding McIlroy and Stoll’s wedding, the two managed to keep details quiet.

“He’s obviously one of the world’s best golfers and a huge celebrity in Ireland, but Erica very much keeps herself to herself and she’s not into being out there at all and I think that’s the way they wanted to keep the wedding, so fair play to them,” professional golferShane Lowrytold theIrish Independentof the couple’s nuptials.

She shares a daughter with McIlroy

Maddie Meyer/Getty

McIlroy and Stoll welcomed their daughterPoppy Kennedy McIlroyon Aug. 31, 2020, in Jupiter, Fla. The golferannounced the news on Instagramand shared a black-and-white photo of Poppy clutching his pinky finger.

In April 2023, Stoll and Poppy served as caddies for McIlroy at the Masters Par 3 Contest in Augusta, Ga.

“Always one of the best days of the year,” the pro golfercaptioned a videoon Instagram, which included several cute clips of McIlroy playing with Poppy on the green.

In July of that year, Stoll supported McIlroy at the Scottish Open — but it seemed Poppy was rooting for another golfer.

In avideo posted on Xfrom the PGA Tour’s account, the mother and daughter greeted McIlroy after he won the tournament.

“Say ‘Well done, Dada,’ " Stoll told her daughter in the clip. However, Poppy wiggled out of her mother’s arms as Stoll explained, “She wants to give Tommy a hug,” referring to competitor Tommy Fleetwood.

McIlroy filed for divorce in May 2024 but called it off one month later

On June 11, 2024, the pro golfer’s attorney filed a notice of voluntary dismissal of the divorce in Palm Beach County Court. McIlroy explained the decision in an interview withThe Guardianon the same day as his attorney’s filing.

“There have been rumours about my personal life recently, which is unfortunate,” he said. “Responding to each rumour is a fool’s game. Over the past weeks, Erica and I have realized that our best future was as a family together. Thankfully, we have resolved our differences and look forward to a new beginning.”

McIlroy and Stoll’s near-divorce and reconciliation were featured during season 3 ofFull Swing. In one confessional, McIlroy said he “struggled with trying to be the best golfer, the best husband, the best dad.”

“There’s parts of my life I like to keep as private as possible,” the golfer explained in the docuseries. “Unfortunately, in this line of work, that isn’t always possible. I have always been protective of my loved ones from people who have ill intentions.”

source: people.com