Rory McIlroy has returned to Augusta National Golf Club this week to defend his Masters title, a year after completing the career Grand Slam. The 36-year-old's journey to that triumph was marked by personal highs and lows, particularly in his nine-year marriage to Erica Stoll.
The couple first met in 2011 when Stoll worked for the PGA, but their relationship began after she arranged a police escort for McIlroy during the 2012 Ryder Cup when he overslept. They became friends, and McIlroy ended his engagement to tennis star Caroline Wozniacki in 2014 before going public with Stoll in 2015. They married in April 2017 and welcomed daughter Poppy Kenney McIlroy in 2020.
In May 2024, McIlroy filed for divorce, claiming the marriage was 'irretrievably broken'. However, he withdrew the petition a month later, stating: 'Over the past weeks, Erica and I have realised that our best future was as a family together. Thankfully, we have resolved our differences and look forward to a new beginning.'
The family has since moved from Florida to a renovated mansion on the Wentworth estate in Surrey, fulfilling Stoll's long-held wish to settle in the UK. Stoll, who shuns the limelight, was present for McIlroy's Masters and Ryder Cup victories in 2025, though she was hit by a beer and subjected to hurtful comments from the American crowd at the Ryder Cup.
McIlroy maintains a close circle of friends, including golfer Shane Lowry, his former neighbour in Florida, and caddie Harry Diamond, his closest friend. Coverage of The Masters begins on April 6, available live on Sky Sports.
