There’s nothing quite like etching your name into the annals of sporting history to signify the start of a new chapter in your life. Rory McIlroy, after numerous frustrating years of attempts, achieved this milestone by donning the Green Jacket in Augusta last Sunday.
The triumph at the Masters by the golfer from Northern Ireland brought an end to over a decade of struggles on the greens in Georgia. Beyond the course, however, that decisive winning putt also marked a turning point in a year that, just 11 months prior, appeared to be one of the worst for McIlroy and his wife Erica Stoll.
Let’s go back to May of last year when Rory, at 35, was in a markedly different situation. The renowned athlete surprised the golfing world by declaring that he and his stylish New Yorker spouse Erica Stoll, who is the mother of their four-year-old daughter Poppy, were heading towards divorce due to an ‘irretrievably broken’ marriage.
However, the couple, who wed in County Mayo in Ireland 2017, dramatically U-turned on the decision a month later, saying differences had been ‘resolved’ and they welcomed ‘a new beginning’.
On Sunday, that new beginning began in earnest – with Erica, 37, who’s been stoically by her husband’s side on golf courses around the world during the fragile rebuilding of their marriage, now apparently keen on re-setting their relationship far from the ‘stifling’ Florida golfing community, with a move to the UK on the cards.
Despite the sportsman, worth £225million, and his wife enjoying a gilded life in a nine-bedroom £17million mansion on the gated Bear’s Club golf estate in Jupiter Island, a glitzy east coast enclave in Florida, the filing of divorce papers at Palm Beach County Court signalled their relationship had hit the bunker.
It’s become clear since that city girl Erica has been itching to start afresh, away from the Florida’s resoundingly Republican east coast – President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate is just 30 minutes south of the couple’s palatial home.
So, with the one trophy that has eluded Rory now in his silverware cabinet, could Erica finally get to call the shots on where the family-of-three call home, as reward for her loyalty in the face of both that stinging divorce statement and unproven rumours of Rory’s close friendship with a US sports reporter.
McIlroy, 35, joined the illustrious Grand Slam club after his victory at Augusta on Sunday, bringing a jubilant end to what has been a turbulent year; he and wife Erica Stoll, pictured with their daughter Poppy, four, were set to divorce in May 2024, before changing their minds
New Yorker Stoll, 37, mother to Poppy, four, has been frank about how life in Florida – less than 20 miles from Donald Trump’s Mar-A-Lago estate – isn’t to her liking, saying she doesn’t enjoy the oppressive heat of the Sunshine State, where she resides most of the time while her husband is out on tour
The ‘new beginning’ the couple alluded to in their ‘back-on’ statement in June 2024 could be a new-build home on UK soil, thousands of miles away from the cliquish Sunshine State community where the couple currently reside.
In Netflix’s golfing series Full Swing, Rory was candid about his wife’s desire to escape Florida’s sweltering summers, saying: ‘If it was up to her [Erica], she wouldn’t move to England straightaway, but she definitely wants to spend more time there.’
German golfer Martin Kaymer, chatting to Rory about his wife’s hatred of the Florida weather, revealed how Erica once told him during a chance meeting in a local Starbucks ‘I really don’t like the sun’ – Kaymer revealed that he joked back: ‘”Your state’s called the Sunshine State, right?”‘
And another fellow player, JJ Spaun, has also hinted at the fact that Rory and Erica could move to the UK – and be just a short flight from the close-knit Holywood community that Rory left behind to pursue global sporting stardom.
Speaking on the Fore Play podcast, US golfer Spaun said after he had been defeated by Rory in the Players Championship, the golfing great had hinted at a permanent London base as he and Erica continue to try and re-find the spark in their relationship.
Spaun said: ‘He’s super cool. We were talking about the UK. I know he’s Northern Irish, but I asked him if he ever hangs out in London. Because my wife has got a really good friend that lives out there and loves going there.’
He continued: ‘I asked him about that, and he said, “Oh yeah, I’m building a house out there”. He kept it really friendly and light, and then we chatted a lot until the back nine, and that was it.’
A move to the UK would also certainly take the heat out of some of the rumours that have dogged the couple since they announced they were getting their marriage back on track – and put Erica in a vibrant city that feels more spiritually inline with her native New York than the more conservative confines of Florida.
Across the Pond? Could the couple now swap their luxe Florida home for a London new-build in a bid to leave Florida’s stifling golfing community behind?
Happier times: The couple pictured in 2018, just a year after their County Mayo wedding. According to Rory’s fellow pro players, Erica is now keen on a new life in London – and her husband is seemingly happy to uproot his family in pursuit of a fresh start
Loyal: The glamorous New Yorker has been by her man’s side at tournaments since they dramatically reversed the divorce papers filed in May last year
Erica looked stoic as she watched her husband receive the traditional green jacket after winning the 2025 Masters in Augusta
McIlroy and Stoll’s ranch-style family home is believed to have nine bedrooms and 10 bathrooms on the entire property
Those rumours? Also in the stands in Georgia to see Rory kiss the green was CBS sports reporter Amanda Balionis, who would later take to Instagram to praise the golfer’s ‘legacy’ achievement this weekend.
Amanda’s comments come just months after rumours that she and Rory had been having some form of a relationship while they were both out on tour.
None of these rumours have been proven and neither Amanda nor Rory have outright addressed them.
The journalist wrote: ‘It took 17 Masters starts, 11 years of attempting to complete the career Grand Slam and 73 this week but Rory McIlroy has his Green Jacket and has solidified his legacy alongside Tiger, Jack, Gary, Hogan and Sarazen. What a week and a battle down to the very end.’
After Rory finally made history – joining five other illustrious names in golf’s Grand Slam club, he may also decide that it’s time to be closer to his childhood roots.
When the golfer first made serious money, winning the the US Open in 2011 and the PGA Championship in 2012, he promptly splashed out on his ‘dream home’ in Northern Ireland.
The then £2million pound home was set in 14 acres and had its own green and driving range.
However, the lure of a home in a base with year-round warmth – Florida’s Jupiter Island – eventually wooed Rory west across the Atlantic and he sold the property in his hometown to TV presenter Gary McCausland.
CBS sports reporter Amanda Balionis congratulated Rory McIlroy after his success at the Masters
Could Rory McIlroy and Erica Stoll’s Jupiter Island home – in a gated golfing community – soon be on the market?
McIlroy and his wife are seen together during a golf demonstration event on the Aletsch glacier on Jungfraujoch saddle in the Swiss alps in 2018
The couple’s current home, bought in 2017 for $11million, is everything a golf millionaire could dream of – with 2.4 acres of land, an infinity pool, tennis court, gym and recording studio. But with Rory travelling for most of the year, Erica and Poppy are the ones rattling around in the palatial mansion.
At Augusta on Sunday, New Yorker Erica played the supportive spouse as she posed with her husband and their four-year-old daughter for official photos and congratulated him with a kiss after his victory.
However, according to one body language expert, the resounding impact of that humiliating divorce announcement is apparently still weighing heavily on Erica.
Reaching out to Erica, Rory shared an emotional hug with the mother-of-one after his victory – but Erica appeared ‘more polite, subdued and tempered’, said Judi James.
The body language expert explained: ‘Erica uses back pats, which are firstly a gesture of gentle affection but which also usually signal a desire to break from an embrace, while Rory appears much more clingy.
‘Rory looks overwhelmed and clingy, while Erica’s response appears a little more polite, subdued and tempered.’
Last year, rumours suggested that Balionis and McIlroy had been having some form of a relationship while they were both out on tour
Rory being interviewed by CBS reporter Amanda Balionis at a previous tournament
The current family home – but New Yorker Erica Stoll has been vocal about not enjoying the Florida heat
Rory poses with daughter Poppy and wife Erica Stoll holding the Masters trophy
Rory finally slayed his demons at Augusta National on Sunday to complete the career Grand Slam after 11 years of trying, pipping Justin Rose to the Green Jacket in a dramatic playoff.
After his winning birdie putt dropped to seal the victory over his Ryder Cup teammate, Rory rushed to his wife of eight years and their daughter Poppy.
Judi told FEMAIL: ‘Rory rushes over to share his emotional state with his wife and his display here mimics one of a needy child looking for a more nurturing response, which is exactly what he gets from Erica.
‘Rory throws both arms out towards her like a toddler looking for a hug, then he clings round Erica’s neck, showing his vulnerable side.
‘While Rory clings Erica pats his back and then strokes it in a tender-looking ritual. As he pulls back she also strokes his face to display gentle affection.
‘Their ritual suggests a message of “we did it” as though acknowledging they both overcame challenges to reach this peak of success.’
The freshly crowned five-time major winner later paid tribute to his family during his Green Jacket ceremony.
‘Last but not least, over to my left, my family, my team,’ he said, trailing off as the tears threatened to spill again.
Rory kisses wife Erica during the Par Three Contest prior to the 2025 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club on Wednesday
The couple share a moment during the Ryder Cup at Hazeltine National Golf Club in 2016
‘They’ve been on this journey with me the whole way through. They know the burden that I’ve carried to come here every year and try and try and try again,’ he continued after recomposing himself.
‘The one thing I would say to my daughter Poppy, never give up on your dreams. Never ever give up on your dreams. Keep coming back. Keep working hard.’
Rory sent shockwaves through the sporting world when he filed for divorce from his wife last May.
A petition was served on her at their £10million mansion in Jupiter, Florida, on May 13, asking for shared parental custody of their little girl and for a judge to enforce a pre-nuptial agreement the couple signed prior to their marriage in 2017.
There was then speculation of a potential romance with Balionis after the pair appeared to enjoy a strong rapport during a flirtatious interview at the Wells Fargo Championship.
But a month later, with the golf world still reeling from news of the split, came an equally unexpected twist as it emerged Rory and Erica had reconciled their differences, with the divorce petition voluntarily dismissed.
Rory’s attorney Thomas Sasser filed a Notice of Voluntary Dismissal on his behalf on June 11 in Palm Beach County Courthouse after he and Erica reportedly held secret meetings at their Florida home for a month in a bid to salvage their marriage.
The meetings were initially focused on how they would co-parent their daughter Poppy, but the conversations eventually led to them reuniting, according to Irish outlet RSVP Live.
Rory addressed the speculation surrounding his relationship status in a statement to The Guardian – two days before the opening round of the US Open.
‘There have been rumors about my personal life recently, which is unfortunate. Responding to each rumor is a fool’s game,’ McIlroy said.
‘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.’
The couple pose with their four-year-old daughter Poppy, who wowed spectators by sinking a 25ft putt on the final hole of the Augusta National course during the family-friendly event
Rory and his wife Erica share a joke during the traditional par-three Masters curtain raiser at Augusta National on Wednesday
Rory embraced his wife of almost eight years following a turbulent year off the course as he celebrated his win on Sunday
One source close to the sportsman told The Daily Mail’s Alison Boshoff in June 2024 that the real reason driving the reconciliation was that McIlroy ‘can’t be on his own for more than five minutes’, adding that, quite simply, he ‘needs the stability’.
Another said he believes the multimillionaire golfer was told by his team that he had been too hasty in his divorce filing and should give his marriage ‘another six months’.
A friend also told Alison: ‘[Rory] definitely can’t be on his own for more than about five minutes. Rory is a nice guy. He’s a good friend and a great golfer, but he’s not a great partner.
‘I’m not party to the details of his marriage, but I do know that it’s very unbalanced, with him having all the power and her running in circles after him like a 1950s wife.’
The friend said Erica ‘does provide the stability that he desperately wants and needs. He won’t cope without anyone at all, but perhaps he thought at the time [of filing for divorce] that she wasn’t the right person.’
The source added: ‘Could I be really cynical and say perhaps this is a way of him avoiding a massive payment to her?
‘There are lots of rumours swirling that he’s done this because he realised how much money he would lose. He’s definitely a man who likes his money.
‘His wealth is a sign to him of how good he is as a golfer, and he won’t be keen to start splitting that. I think it could be a mixture of the realisation that he won’t see as much of his daughter and will lose half of his money that has made him rethink.
‘Also, he’s really not very good on his own. That could’ve been in the thinking as well.’
The couple, who called off their divorce last year, share a laugh during Wednesday’s round
Erica smiles as Rory cradles his daughter at Augusta. The couple looked to be on the brink of divorce last May when McIlroy filed a divorce petition in Florida, but they quickly reconciled
Rory – who married Erica in 2017 – enjoys a laugh during the annual competition at Augusta
Erica Stoll looks on during the Par Three Contest prior to the 2025 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club, pictured left. Pictured right, Erica after Rory’s Masters win
Meanwhile, another friend said: ‘Perhaps the cold realisation of exactly how much the divorce could cost him hit hard.
‘McIlroy has amassed a fortune of more than £200m and his projected earnings in his career are predicted to be more than double that figure. Surely he didn’t want to see all that money he’s accrued diminish.
‘It would have felt like a huge waste if millions ended up in the pockets of lawyers.’
The friend added: ‘There is also their three-year-old daughter Poppy to consider. Rory is a doting dad and he has strong family values.’
The New York Post reported that the couple had signed a prenup agreement prior to their star-studded April 2017 wedding at Ashford Castle in County Mayo.
Prenuptial agreements are not legally binding in Ireland – or in England and Wales – but they are in the US where it is believed the legal agreement side of the marriage was taken care of before the ceremony. However, conditions vary from state to state.
An insider said: ‘Under Florida law, there are a number of legal challenges that can be made to a prenup, it’s not a ‘done deal’.
‘For example, a key issue would be is the prenup unfair to Erica – is it ‘unconscionable’ under Florida’s Uniform Premarital Agreement Act and it may not be enforceable on those grounds.
‘Basically, you could be looking at the potential for a protracted, extremely messy and expensive legal battle and clearly that is something Rory would want to avoid. It seems like he was headstrong and rushed into this without thinking it through.’
McIlroy and his wife are seen at the All England Club on day nine of the Wimbledon fortnight in 2018. The golfer was once engaged to former world No 1 tennis player Caroline Wozniacki
Rory McIlroy and Caroline Wozniacki, pictured together at the Masters in 2013, shortly before the golfer broke off their engagement after wedding invitations had been sent
Wozniacki opted against picking her ex-fiancee to win during an ESPN interview
In May 2024, McIlroy was revealed as Northern Ireland’s richest person under 40, with the Sunday Times Rich List reporting his wealth at £225m – up £25m in 2024.
He was also listed at 19 in the Forbes annual list of the world’s highest paid athletes – a total yearly earning of $80.1 million which makes him the second highest paid golfer in the world.
A source told U.S. Weekly in May that year that there were other issues, too. Apparently Erica had been feeling ‘lonely’ in the marriage as the couple were effectively leading separate lives.
The source said: ‘She knew what she was getting into with his profession, but once they had Poppy things really changed and she had a new perspective. Erica was usually absent for most of his tournaments and was really focused on Poppy.’
After his victory at the recent DP World Tour Championship in Dubai, Rory admitted that he had been through ‘a lot this year, professionally and personally’.
‘To have Erica and Poppy here, it means a lot,’ the golf player said in November.
‘It’s the first one they’ve been at in a while and for Poppy to be old enough now to sort of understand what is going on. I had to ask her if I did win, would she come out onto the 18th green with me?
‘Their support means the world to me and to be able to show Poppy what happened and some of the reasons maybe why I’m not around all of the time because I’m working or practising.
‘Hopefully she realises or thinks it’s worthwhile that I’m not there every night for dinner or for bedtime or whatever it is.
‘It’s incredible that they were here with me this week and I’m excited to go and celebrate with them.’
Rory first met New York state native Erica during the 2012 Ryder Cup while she was working for the PGA of America.
He missed his alarm but she helped him make his tee time at Medinah in Illinois by arranging a police escort.
They began dating several months after he abruptly called off his engagement with tennis star Caroline Wozniacki in 2014, with the couple adopting a low profile initially.
‘I am very happy in my love life,’ he said the following summer. ‘We haven’t really been putting it out there. She is from America, which is why I like to spend time in Palm Beach.
‘The past six or seven months have been really nice. That part of my life is going great.’
He proposed in Paris later the same year, and in April 2017 the couple were married at Ashford Castle in County Mayo, Ireland, where Ed Sheeran and Stevie Wonder reportedly delivered live performances.
But Stoll has resolutely shunned the limelight, even keeping her pregnancy under wraps until the third trimester, and has remained a crucial source of calmness and stability throughout the relationship.
‘For me, Erica brings such a level of normality to everything,’ McIlroy explained early in their relationship. ‘She has a calming presence, a sereneness, and that’s not just on me; it is noticeable in any company.
‘She never wants to be the centre of attention and is always very comfortable in the background.
‘She has been a great influence on me and has given such a great balance to my life – between who I am when people see me out here, and who I am at home.’
The Northern Irishman held his nerve on Sunday to see off Justin Rose to complete a career Grand Slam and end 11 years of heartbreak since his 2014 PGA Championship victory.
After his winning birdie putt dropped to seal the victory over his Ryder Cup teammate, Rory collapsed to the ground with his head in hands as his shoulders wracked with sobs.
The player joined Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods as the only golfers to capture the four major championships in the Masters era.
