Rory McIlroy has been in a relationship with Erica Stoll since late 2014, but just months before, he was engaged to former tennis number one Caroline Wozniacki.
The 2026 Masters champion confirmed he and Caroline, who were 22 and 21 at the time, respectively, were a couple in August 2011 after they were spotted together on several occasions.
They became a sporting power couple throughout their three-year relationship, and on New Year’s Eve in 2013, Rory got down on one knee and proposed to Caroline.
“Happy New Year everyone! Rory and I started 2014 with a bang! … I said YES!!!!” she captioned photos from their engagement, which she shared on X.
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The wedding was not meant to be, however, as in May 2014, Rory confirmed that he had ended their engagement because he “wasn’t ready” to be a husband.
“The problem is mine,” the 36-year-old said in a statement at the time. “The wedding invitations issued at the weekend made me realise that I wasn’t ready for all that marriage entails.”
He added: “I wish Caroline all the happiness she deserves and thank her for the great times we’ve had.”
© Getty ImagesRory and Caroline dated from 2011 to 2014
Following their split, several reports claimed that Rory had broken up with Caroline in a three-minute phone call, which she confirmed months later.
“I was shocked. I thought at least I would get a face-to-face or something, but there was nothing. It was a phone call, and I did not hear from him again,” she said during a September 2011 episode of In Depth with Graham Bensinger.Â
“It kind of just ended,” she added. “It was very hard because he made it very public from the start. He put out a press release and all of that, so I didn’t have a choice; it just got put in my face.”
© Getty ImagesRory ‘wasn’t ready’ to get married
Caroline is now married to former NBA All-Star David Lee, and they have three children: daughter Olivia, and sons James and Max.
Reflecting on his relationship with Caroline in an interview with the Irish Independent in 2017, Rory admitted that dating another sports star was tougher than he had imagined.
“I thought at the time that being with someone that was in a similar position to you was the obvious answer,” he admitted.
© Getty ImagesRory ended his engagement to Caroline over the phone
“But it isn’t, because you can never get away from it. You can never detach yourself and try to come back to the real world.”
While Rory may not have been ready to marry Caroline, he felt differently about Erica as he proposed to her in December 2015.
© Rory McIlroy on InstagramRory proposed to Erica in December 2015
The golfer and former PGA transport official, who first met at the 2012 Ryder Cup, married on April 22, 2017, at Ashford Castle in County Mayo, Ireland. They welcomed their daughter, Poppy Kennedy McIlroy, on August 31, 2020.
On May 13, 2024, Rory filed for divorce, but just one month later, he filed a notice of voluntary dismissal of the divorce in the Palm Beach County Court.
© Getty ImagesRory and Erica with their daughter, Poppy
He told The Guardian of his decision: “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.”
In July 2025, Rory relocated his family to a $12 million, six-bedroom gated house in the Wentworth estate, close to the exclusive Wentworth Club golf course in Surrey.