Rory McIlroy’s romantic life has experienced a lot of drama, from a cancelled wedding to Caroline Wozniacki, a tennis star, to a surprising reversal of his most recent divorce plans.
Rory McIlroy’s love life has been a mess with the golf course, with frequent heartfelt romances, heartbreaks, and speculation.
The Northern Irish golf ace, 35, may be one of Europe’s most successful players, but off the course, his romantic history has been a rollercoaster. Over the years, he’s been linked to several women in the spotlight – and most recently, eyebrows were raised again following an “awkward” post-match interview with CBS Sports presenter Amanda Balionis.
The pair were once rumoured to be romantically involved during a rocky patch in Rory’s marriage to Erica Stoll – a relationship he appeared ready to end before making a dramatic U-turn on divorce proceedings. Fresh from his first career win at Pebble Beach, Rory’s on-camera moment with Amanda reignited chatter about their alleged past, leaving viewers both intrigued and stunned.
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It’s really cool to win at one of golf’s cathedrals. I knew today was gonna be tough, it was gonna be exciting, there were so many guys around the lead”, he told Amanda. After the debacle last year off-course, one commentator posted a clip to X in February.
Another wrote: “Sure didn’t waste anytime getting that interview up. Wonder why?” A third simply shared: “Awkward” with a grimacing emoji. Here, the Mirror looks back at Rory’s rollercoaster love life.
Meghan Markle rumours
Long before Meghan Markle found happiness with Prince Harry, the Duchess of Sussex was linked to Rory. Back in the summer of 2014, Meghan – who was at the height of her Suits fame – struck up an unexpected friendship with the golf star. Romance rumours came after he nominated her to do the Ice Bucket Challenge for the ALS Association.
The viral trend saw those taking part throw ice-cold water over themselves and post a video of it on social media to raise awareness of ALS, a type of motor neurone disease. Rory threw the ice-cold water over Meghan himself, with one condition remaining: Meghan accepted the nomination. After the video was shared on social media, it was reported that the couple had dinner and drinks in New York.
Shortly afterwards, Meghan gushed about her pal on her former blog, The Tig, calling him the “real deal”. She wrote: “Ah yes. Rory McIlroy. THE Rory McIlroy. Whispered (and shouted) to be the foremost golfer in the world, loved by Tiger, respected by Palmer, and dumper of frigid water on to my lone head for the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. That Rory McIlroy.
” ‘ He is a force who has the propensity to actually work hard and play hard – relishing intense practices to substantiate his title, embracing nights of sipping Opus One (his bold and impressive choice of wine) and indulging in group dinners at Cipriani – for the balance, of course.
The most endearing quality of this man is his character, who is as real and honest as they come, never shunning a fan photo, enjoys a plate of pasta with veal ragu, and expresses a love for his parents that is uncommon in men his age. To be honest, at any age. He is not just the real deal… he is real. And perhaps that’s what gives him that much more value.
When several months later, in October 2014, they were spotted having dinner together at the opulent Dublin restaurant Fade Street Social, dating rumors increased. But despite speculation, the pair were never more than friends. Meghan is reportedly dating Cory Vitiello, a chef.
Brutal divorce
When Rory and Caroline Wozniacki, the former world number one tennis star, announced their engagement in December 2013, it looked like they were on their way to becoming a sporting power couple. The pair had been dating for three years and frequently attended each other’s events, with the swimsuit model even occasionally acting as her partner’s caddy.
However, just months after getting down on one knee on New Year’s Eve, Rory suddenly called it off – reportedly even after the wedding invites had been sent out. According to The Times, Rory phoned his fiancée to inform her of his intentions with a three-minute call that the Dane initially thought was a joke.
His comments about the break-up proved the start of a bitter war of words between the estranged pair. Speaking to the Irish Independent in 2017, he said: “I thought at the time that being with someone that was in a similar position to you was the obvious answer. But it isn’t, because you can never get away from it. You can never detach yourself and try to come back to the real world.”
Divorce U-turn
After renouncing the engagement, Rory moved on and fell in love with Erica, who he first met in 2012 while she was an American PGA professional. In 2017, the couple walked down the aisle in Ashworth Castle, one of Ireland’s top hotels.
The star-studded guest list included Chris Martin from Coldplay and One Direction’s Niall Horan, while there were also performances from Stevie Wonder and Ed Sheeran. In August 2020, the couple welcomed their daughter, Poppy Kennedy McIlroy.
Speaking to the Irish Independent, the sportsman opened up about Erica’s admirable lack of “judgement” – and appeared to take a dig at his ex once more. He claimed, “We met when she was renting a condo in Palm Beach while she was working for the PGA of America,” and that he found it refreshing to be with someone who was leading a normal life. My flight is delayed by 30 minutes.
We ended up spending a little time together before realizing there was more going on. There was no judgment there, which is what I love about her. There was no judgement from day one, which is huge, because that’s very hard to find for someone in my position. “
However, when the shock news that Rory filed for divorce after seven years made headlines, their happy marriage appeared to come to an end. On May 13, 2024, the petition was submitted to the state court in Palm Beach County, Florida.
” Rory McIlroy’s communications team confirmed today that a divorce has been filed, “a statement from the 35-year-old’s team read”. They emphasized Rory’s desire to make this difficult time as pleasant and respectful as possible. He won’t comment on anything.
However just a month later, Rory scrapped his divorce plan, as reported DailyMail. The paper reported that Erica failed to respond or even register an attorney by the June 2 deadline. Just two days before the opening round of the US Open, Rory addressed the speculation, confirming they were indeed back together.
Releasing a statement to the Guardian, he said:” There have been rumours about my personal life recently, which is unfortunate. It’s a fool’s game to respond to every rumor. Erica and I have come to terms with the fact that growing up together as a family has been our best option for the future. Thankfully, we have resolved our differences and look forward to a new beginning. “
After the pair were spotted hugging following an interview at the RBC Canadian Open at Hamilton Golf and Country Club in Hamilton, Ontario, Rory had been connected to CBS Sports reporter Amanda Balionis, 38, at the time of their reconciliation. Bryn Renner and Batilionis are married, but they later changed their names and were caught not wearing their wedding rings.
The couple has yet to comment on speculation that they have separated. Unnamed source told Us Weekly that she and Mcllroy weren’t dating, but neither of them responded to the rumor.
It appears Rory wants to put the speculation behind him as towards the end of last year, his family were there to congratulate him after he made his way off the course at the DP World Tour Championship. McIlroy was able to give his young daughter a big hug in celebration, before embracing with Stoll as the pair shared a kiss.
After his victory speech, he then addressed Erica and Poppy in his own words, “I love you,” and then made his return to the 18th green for the post-tournament presentation. An emotional McIlroy revealed what he had been through the previous year in the immediate aftermath.
” Yeah It means a lot, “he declared”. This year, both professionally and personally, I’ve been through a lot. The 2024 era seems to come to an end. You know, yeah, look, I’ve persevered this year a lot. had close inspections. Was unable to complete it. I was so pleased with the way things turned out, and thankfully, I persevered despite a difficult day and succeeded.
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