{"id":530061,"date":"2026-04-14T09:47:14","date_gmt":"2026-04-14T09:47:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/530061\/"},"modified":"2026-04-14T09:47:14","modified_gmt":"2026-04-14T09:47:14","slug":"rory-mcilroy-sparks-backlash-over-awkward-moment-with-wife-erica-stoll-after-masters-win","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/530061\/","title":{"rendered":"Rory McIlroy sparks backlash over \u2018awkward\u2019 moment with wife Erica Stoll after Masters win"},"content":{"rendered":"

Rory McIlroy secured his place in golfing history on Sunday by claiming a second successive green jacket at Augusta National, holding off world number one Scottie Scheffler to complete back-to-back Masters triumphs.<\/p>\n

The 36-year-old Northern Irishman’s remarkable achievement has, however, been somewhat overshadowed by an unexpected controversy surrounding his post-victory celebrations.<\/p>\n

Social media users were quick to scrutinise the moments following McIlroy’s win, with many observers noting what they perceived as an awkward family reunion on the 18th green.<\/p>\n

The golfer was seen beckoning his wife Erica Stoll and their five-year-old daughter Poppy to join him, prompting widespread commentary about the nature of their embrace.<\/p>\n

Fans on X did not hold back in their assessment of the family moment.<\/p>\n

“Rory having to call his wife and daughter over to hug him. Tough scene,” wrote one user.<\/p>\n

Another observer offered a more pointed critique: “Good for Rory but he gave bigger hugs to his private equity guys he has known for 4 months than his wife and daughter. Great to see a back to back winner but out on that dude.”<\/p>\n

\"Rory<\/p>\n

Rory McIlroy secured his place in golfing history on Sunday by claiming a second successive green jacket at Augusta National, holding off world number one Scottie Scheffler to complete back-to-back Masters triumphs<\/p>\n

| <\/p>\n

REUTERS<\/p>\n

A third commenter simply described the embraces as “lukewarm.”<\/p>\n

Despite the online criticism, McIlroy used his trophy presentation to express gratitude towards his family, with 38-year-old Stoll and young Poppy standing beside him.<\/p>\n

“A few thank yous to the people on my left,” he said. <\/p>\n

\"Rory<\/p>\n

Rory McIlroy hugs wife Erica Stoll following his Masters win<\/p>\n

| <\/p>\n

REUTERS<\/p>\n

“First and foremost my wife and daughter, Erica and Poppy, they have to put up with me at home and trust me sometimes that’s a tough thing to do. But they have been my biggest supporters.”<\/p>\n

The golfer then turned to lighter matters, noting that Augusta had become his daughter’s favourite event of the year.<\/p>\n

“I don’t know if it’s because of the Par 3 tournament or it’s the all-you-can-eat ice cream in the player services building,” he joked, as Poppy covered her face in embarrassment.<\/p>\n

McIlroy’s triumph in front of his loved ones comes approximately two years after the couple briefly separated, only to abandon divorce proceedings and reunite.<\/p>\n

“Over the past weeks, Erica and I have realisedthat our best future was as a family together,” McIlroy stated at the time. <\/p>\n

\"RoryRory McIlroy has now won the Masters twice following his win at Augusta | GETTY<\/p>\n

“Thankfully, we have resolved our differences and look forward to a new beginning.”<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, McIlroy also thanked his parents for being there – having missed his Masters victory 12 months ago.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey weren\u2019t here last year to celebrate with us, and surprisingly I had to convince them to come this year, because they thought the reason I won was because they weren\u2019t here. I\u2019m glad we proved that wrong,” he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cMum and Dad, I owe everything to you. You\u2019re the most wonderful parents.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Rory McIlroy secured his place in golfing history on Sunday by claiming a second successive green jacket at…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":530062,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[39],"tags":[5904,50,2623,2331,217,101,183596,56,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-530061","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-golf","8":"tag-golf","9":"tag-news","10":"tag-rory-mcilroy","11":"tag-sgg","12":"tag-sport","13":"tag-sports","14":"tag-the-late-show-live","15":"tag-uk","16":"tag-united-kingdom","17":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/530061","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=530061"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/530061\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/530062"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=530061"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=530061"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=530061"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}