Rory McIlroy and his wife Erica Stoll won’t be going their separate ways after all. The couple has called off the split less than a month after filing for divorce.
The pro golfer, who has been married to Stoll for seven years, appears to have reconciled with his wife, and the two filed for voluntary dismissal of their Florida divorce case on Tuesday, according to the Associated Press.
News of the divorce first landed dramatically a day after McIlroy won his 26th PGA Tour event and just as the PGA Championship was set to begin. News of the reconciliation landed in a similarly dramatic fashion two days before the U.S. Open in Pinehurst, N.C., where McIlroy is looking to end his career grand-slam drought.
The 35-year-old originally filed his divorce petition on May 13 in Palm Beach County, Fla., saying his marriage was “irretrievably broken,” which is comparable to citing irreconcilable differences in a divorce petition filed in California. Erica was served with divorce papers the same day and had 20 days to respond.
At the time, the Northern Irishman’s communications team “stressed Rory’s desire to ensure this difficult time is as respectful and amicable as possible.”
McIlroy, who tied for 12th at the PGA Championship last month, did not discuss the split or reconciliation at a press conference for his latest major on Tuesday. However, the two-time World Champion — who will play this week alongside the only two people ranked ahead of him (Masters champion Scottie Scheffler and PGA champion Xander Schauffele) — did address rumors in a Tuesday statement to the Guardian.
“There have been rumors about my personal life recently, which is unfortunate,” he said. “Responding to each rumor is a fool’s game. 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.”
A representative for McIlroy did not immediately respond Wednesday to The Times’ request for comment.
The four-time major champion and his wife met in 2012 when Stoll worked the Ryder Cup event for the PGA. The golfer has credited her with helping him get a police escort so that he wouldn’t miss his tee time. McIlroy was dating and engaged to tennis star Caroline Wozniacki before he and Stoll struck up a romance. McIlroy and Wozniacki broke off their engagement in 2014, just days after sending out wedding invitations. That same year, he began dating Stoll.
The two wed in 2017 during a lavish ceremony at Ashford Castle in County Mayo, Ireland, and welcomed their first child in 2020.
On Tuesday, McIlroy arrived for his first practice round at this week’s U.S. Open seemingly content. When asked if there are still goals that he wants to achieve, he replied: “Not particularly.”
“I’m really proud of my body of work over the past 15 years and everything that I have achieved,” he said, “whether it be season-long titles or individual tournaments or majors. Obviously, getting my hands on a fifth major has taken quite a while, but I’m more confident than ever that I’m right there, that I’m as close as I’ve ever been.”
“There’s always going to be that tinge of ‘what could have been.’ I don’t want to do that,” he added. “If someone would have told me at 20 years old I’d be sitting here at 35 and this is the career I’ve had, I would not have believed them.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
