A golf legend has made a jaw-dropping claim about Rory McIlroy’s wife Erica Stoll
Erica Stoll and Rory McIlroy nearly divorced in 2024(Image: (David Cannon/Getty Images))
Paul McGinley has bizarrely claimed another PGA Tour golfer’s wife would be a better match for Rory McIlroy than his actual wife, Erica Stoll. McIlroy’s struggling relationship with Stoll came to light in May 2024 as the Northern Irish golfer filed for a divorce in Palm Beach County, Florida.
He said at the time that his marriage was “irretrievably broken” after seven years together. Stoll shunned the spotlight and refused to do interviews or visit McIlroy on tour. But the couple made a dramatic U-turn and announced one month after the news initially broke that they had decided to stay together.
Now, as he looks to defend his Masters title at Augusta National, the 36-year-old’s struggles with his wife have been laid bare in a revealing new book about the five-time major champion’s life.
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Alan Shipnuck’s ‘Rory: The Heartache and Triumph of Golf‘s Most Human Superstar’ provides an extensive look at their relationship. In the book, McIlroy’s 2014 Team Europe Ryder Cup captain McGinley stunningly claimed McIlroy would have been better off with golf rival Padraig Harrington‘s wife.
McGinley began by saying: “It can’t be easy being Rory’s wife. I’m sure it’s not easy for her because she’s quiet by nature.”
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He added: “Caroline Harrington would have been perfect as Rory’s wife. She (Caroline) loves Padraig being a professional golfer more than Padraig loves being a professional golfer.
“But Erica is quiet and she kind of keeps her thoughts to herself. She’s had to find where she fits in and where she doesn’t.” McGinley went on to say that while McIlroy is a “superstar” and has a “big personality”, Stoll was not like that at all.
McIlroy married Stoll in 2017 in a star-studded ceremony at Ashford Castle in County Mayo, Ireland, where guests included Stevie Wonder. Stoll had been working for the PGA of America when she met McIlroy in 2012 at the Ryder Cup.
Paul McGinley made a strange claim about McIlroy(Image: Getty Images)
According to his close friend Shane Lowry, 2023 was a “tough spot” for McIlroy. Golf had been a refuge for him until the divorce filing.
Announcing his decision to stay with Stoll, who is the mother of his daughter, Poppy, McIlroy said in 2024: “Erica and I have realised that our best future was as a family together.” He described the ordeal as a “wake-up call”.
Stoll has since been seen cheering on McIlroy on the greens and was targeted with abuse by the crowd at last year’s Ryder Cup. She and Poppy will likely join him for the traditional par-three contest this week as he looks to secure a second green jacket.