Rory McIlroy has filed for divorce from his wife of seven years, Erica Stoll. The filing comes days before the golf legend is due to compete in the PGA Championship.
Rory, 35, filed for divorce on Monday, in a Florida court. The filing comes weeks after the couple marked their seventh wedding anniversary, with the duo walking down the aisle in April 2017. In a statement, Rory's team said: "Rory McIlroy's communications team confirmed today that a divorce has been filed. They stressed Rory's desire to ensure this difficult time is as respectful and amicable as possible. He will not be making any further comment."
© Ramsey CardyThe couple will likely seek to co-parent their three-year-old daughter, Poppy, who was born in 2020. After the birth of their daughter, Rory posted on social media: "She is the absolute love of our lives. Mother and baby are doing great. Massive thank you to all the staff at Jupiter Medical Center and Dr Sasha Melendy for their amazing care."
Rory and Erica first met in 2012, with Erica assisting the golf star in getting to the Ryder Cup after he reportedly slept through an alarm, however the pair didn't start dating until 2015 due to the star's relationship with tennis player Caroline Wozniacki.
© Andrew RedingtonThe couple got engaged in Paris after a year together, and tied the knot at an exclusive wedding which was held at Ashford Castle in Ireland. Their marriage ceremony was attended by guests including Chris Martin and Jamie Dornan, and the five-day long celebration featured performances from Ed Sheeran and Stevie Wonder.
Although the pair have mostly kept their relationship out of the public eye, Erica has been spotted at previous PGA events and other golfing tournaments cheering her beloved on. Speaking about his beloved's desire to stay out of the spotlight, Rory told the Irish Independent in 2015: "Erica has been around me quite a lot at tournaments but we have really just tried to keep it low-key. She is a very low-key person, not the kind to broadcast stuff, but that side of my life is really good just now."
© Ryan YoungIn the same interview, the sportsman added: "The thing I love about it is that we were friends before anything romantic happened. We met when she was working for the PGA of America and renting a condo in Palm Beach, and I found it refreshing being with someone who was living a normal life rather than, 'Oh! My jet is 30 minutes late!' I could speak to her about anything, we ended up spending a bit of time together and realised that there was something more there."
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