Rory McIlroy has addressed his divorce U-turn with wife Erica Stoll and expressed hope for the pair in his new documentary.
In May of last year, the professional golfer announced that he was separating from his wife after seven years of marriage.
However, in a shocking U-turn just weeks later, Rory called off his divorce from wife Erica Stoll.
During the Netflix series Full Swing, Rory touched on the turbulent time in his life saying: “There’s parts of my life that I like to keep as private as possible. Unfortunately, in this line of work that isn’t always possible.”
Addressing the almost-split he went on to say: “Thankfully, everything has worked out for the best and we’re happy and moving forward and I can’t wait for what lies ahead.”
In a prior interview with The Guardian, Rory discussed the controversy, stating: “There have been rumours about my personal life recently, which is unfortunate.”
“Responding to each rumour is a fool’s game. Over the past weeks, Erica and I have realised that our best future was as a family together.”
“Thankfully we have resolved our differences and look forward to a new beginning.”
The golfer confessed: “There has been a lot going on this year, golf-wise and obviously personal-wise as well.”
“Sometimes life can get a lot, you know, it can get too much.”
The golfer admitted he needed to “take time away to realise what was important, friends, family and enjoying myself.”
The 35-year-old started dating Erica in 2014, months after he broke off his previous engagement to tennis star Caroline Wozniacki.
The former couple married in a star-studded ceremony at Ashford Castle in 2017 and welcomed their daughter Poppy three years later.
In May, The Irish Independent reported that Rory had filed for divorce.
His manager Sean O’Flaherty said in a statement: “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.”
The divorce filing, which described their marriage as “irretrievably broken”, requests shared custody of their daughter Poppy and asks for a parenting plan to be established.
Court officials responded by closing out the case meaning that if the pro golfer changes his mind again, he will have to start the divorce proceedings from scratch.
In a statement to The Guardian, Rory addressed the speculation surrounding his relationship status.
“There have been rumours about my personal life recently, which is unfortunate. Responding to each rumour is a fool’s game,” the golfer 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.”
However, a source close to the sportsman revealed the “real” reason behind their reconciliation was that Rory “can’t be on his own for more than five minutes.”
The source also told the outlet that the golfer “needs the stability” in his life.
Another source told the outlet: “Rory is a bit of a law unto himself.”
“I have heard that they’ve decided to give it six months and see how they both feel at the end of it. That would make sense.”
“Filing for divorce was all about Rory rushing into things. He is very spur of the moment and will just decide something without giving it much thought.”
“He’ll definitely have been advised to give it six months.”
Their split was a huge shock, as Erica often cheered Rory on during his tournaments.
However, she was noticeably absent from the Masters in Augusta in May.
The mother-of-one was heavily involved in the world of golf before meeting her husband, and worked for the American PGA since 2008.
Erica and Rory met four years later during the 2012 Ryder Cup.
The pair began dating in 2014, after the golfer split from his ex-fiancée Carolina Wozniacki.
The couple, who made their romance official in 2015, have been notoriously private since the beginning of their romantic relationship.
They famously tied the knot at Ashford Castle in 2017, which was a star-studded affair with guests including Stevie Wonder, Niall Horan, Ed Sheeran, Chris Martin and Jamie Dornan.
