Rory McIlroy has filed for a divorce from his wife Erica Stoll on the eve of the PGA Championship – and golf fans are convinced a strong performance is incoming at Valhalla.
McIlroy filed the papers in Palm Beach County State Court in Florida on Monday before calling for a respectful and amicable process. He met Stoll in 2014, the couple have been married since 2017 and share a child, three-year-old Poppy Kennedy McIlroy, together.
The sad news of the Northern Irishman’s marriage breaking down has shocked fans, who had no inclination it was coming. However, with the news coming on the eve of the PGA Championship in Kentucky, many have noticed a potentially similarity from earlier in McIlroy’s career.
The 35-year-old broke up with his ex-fiancée Caroline Wozniacki on the eve of the BMW PGA Championship back in 2014. McIlroy and Wozniacki had sent out invites to their wedding before McIlroy got cold feet and called the whole thing off, dumping the tennis star in a three-minute phone call.
The upheaval in his personal life did not negatively affect McIlroy on the golf course, however. In fact, the opposite was true as he went on a winning streak, taking victory at the BMW PGA Championship before claiming two major wins at the PGA Championship and The Open that summer.
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McIlroy is in good form at the moment, too, sitting at world No.2 after winning on his last two starts at the Zurich Classic and the Wells Fargo Championship. Now golf fans are convinced that, after 10 years without a major, McIlroy is going to go on the charge once again.
“Getting rid of all distractions. Valhalla victory confirmed,” one fan wrote on Twitter. Another added: “Didn't Rory Mcilroy split from Caroline Wozniacki just before winning the PGA Championship in 2014, at Valhalla? I'm all for trying everything to break that major drought, but…”
Rory McIlroy split from Caroline Wozniacki in 2014 (Getty Images)McIlroy didn’t attend the PGA Championship champions dinner on Tuesday night after news of his pending divorce broke. "Rory McIlroy's communications team confirmed today that a divorce has been filed," a statement from his team read. "They stressed Rory's desire to ensure this difficult time is as respectful and amicable as possible. He will not be making any further comment."
Speaking in North Carolina after his latest win, McIlroy hinted at how he manages to focus on golf, no matter what is going on away from the course. “I've always been able to compartmentalise pretty well,” he said. “I seem to for whatever reason play very good golf whenever I have a lot of stuff going on.”
His divorce comes amid a turbulent time for McIlroy, who was rejected after applying to rejoin the PGA Tour’s policy board. The decision brought him into conflict with Tiger Woods, who voted against McIlroy’s inclusion amid simmering tensions over the PGA Tour merging with Saudi Arabia-backed LIV Golf.
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