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Erica Stoll, the estranged wife of four-time major champion Rory McIlroy, reportedly reached "a breaking point" because she "was lonely in their marriage," a source with knowledge of the situation told Us Weekly.
“A point of contention in Rory’s marriage with Erica was that Erica was lonely in their marriage,” the source said. "Rory was a hard person to be married to."
The source claimed that McIlroy, 35, 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 claims the couple's relationship changed after the birth of their daughter, Poppy, in August 2020 as Stoll's priorities shifted, which included her noticeable absence from the Masters in April.
“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.”
McIlroy is seeking split custody of Poppy and his representatives “stressed Rory’s desire to ensure this difficult time is as respectful and amicable as possible" following news of his divorce filing. Court records show that McIlroy submitted the documents in Florida on May 13, hours after he won the Wells Fargo Championship tournament at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte over the weekend.
McIlroy and Stoll, who were married in 2017, were initially linked in 2014 after he called off his engagement to tennis star Caroline Wozniacki, having met two years prior when Stoll worked as a PGA transport official at the Ryder Cup, PEOPLE.com reports.
“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 (by the clubhouse),” McIlroy told NBC Sports during an interview in 2019. “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.”
McIlroy shot 12-under and tied for 12th in the PGA Championship this past weekend, a major event he had previously won twice in 2012 and 2014. The Northern Ireland native won his last major at the 2014 Open Championship.