Who is Rory McIlroy’s wife? Meet Erica Stoll
Get to know Erica Stoll, the former PGA of America employee married to Rory McIlroy
Rory McIlroy is one of the world’s best players. He is a four-time major champion, having won the PGA Championship twice and the US Open and Open on one occasion each.
Often by his side at tournaments is his wife Erica Stoll. The pair were married in 2017 and have one child together.
Here’s everything you need to know about Stoll and her relationship with McIlroy.
Who is Rory McIlroy’s wife Erica Stoll?
Erica Stoll was born on September 10, 1987, in Irondequoit, New York. She grew up with her sister Natalie in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.
An avid tennis player in her teenage years, Stoll attended West Irondequoit High School until 2003, before enrolling at The Rochester Institute of Technology where she graduated in 2008.
After picking up her diploma, Stoll worked as the manager of the Championship Volunteer Operations for the PGA of America in 2011. It was here, when Erica was working for the PGA that she would meet her future husband McIlroy.
Erica is also a keen sailor and likes to bake.
How did they meet?
Stoll first met McIlroy at the 2012 Ryder Cup. Still a PGA employee, Stoll famously helped the Northern Irishman make his final round tee time after he overslept and nearly missed it due to a time zone mix-up. Stoll helped the pro golfer out by getting him a police escort to Medinah in Illinois.
McIlroy started dating Stoll in 2014. This was just a few months after he called off his engagement to tennis player Caroline Wozniacki. He has since recalled first meeting Stoll during an interview with Golf Channel.
“Erica that week was always the one key person checking us in and out,” he said. “She was there at transportation, so she was always in the car park over there. But yeah, it’s still cool to look around and think about that week, and obviously everything that’s happened since then. It’s pretty cool.”
When did they get married?
After getting engaged in December 2015, the pair were married on April 22, 2017. The ceremony took place at Ashford Castle in Galway, Ireland, and was attended by a host of stars including Chris Martin, Niall Horan and Ed Sheeran. Fellow golfers Paul McGinley, Sergio Garcia, Shane Lowry, and Padraig Harrington were also in attendance.
Although there was plenty of buzz surrounding McIlroy and Stoll’s wedding, the couple managed to keep details relatively quiet.
“He’s obviously one of the world’s best golfers and a huge celebrity in Ireland, but Erica very much keeps herself to herself and she’s not into being out there at all and I think that’s the way they wanted to keep the wedding, so fair play to them,” Lowry told the Irish Independent after the ceremony.
Do Rory McIlroy and Erica Stoll have any children?
McIlroy and Stoll now have one child together, a girl named Poppy Kennedy McIlroy who was born in 2020.
Anything else?
Stoll does her best to keep her personal life out of the spotlight, including keeping her Instagram account on private.
Before getting married in 2017, McIlroy shared with the Irish Independent that, “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. We are excited, our parents are excited so it is a really happy time.”
More recently, Erica has been spotted supporting McIlroy at several high-profile tournaments. After narrowly missing out on winning the 150th Open at St Andrews, the Northern Irishman reportedly wept in Stoll’s arms after leaving the Old Course.
The report from golf.com read: “McIlroy’s wife Erica was waiting for him just around the corner, stationed beside a golf cart ready to whisk them away. Up to this point, Rory had kept a strong front. He’d cheered the crowd behind 18. He’d shaken hands, thanked officials, greeted volunteers. He’d answered every question.
“Now he crumpled into his wife’s arms. The two shared a long embrace, an affirmation that eight years is a long time to carry a heavy burden. That all of this meant exactly as much as it seemed from the outside. And then, as they slid into the back seat of the cart, Rory buried his head in Erica’s shoulder and wept as they drove off into the night.”
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Matt Chivers
Now on the wrong side of 25, Matt has been playing golf since the age of 13 and was largely inspired to take up the game by countless family members who played golf during his childhood.
Matt is a member at Royal Cinque Ports in Deal playing off a 5 handicap, just a pitching wedge away from his hometown of Dover where he went to school and grew up. He has previously been a member at Etchinghill and Walmer and Kingsdown in Kent.
Having studied history at the University of Liverpool, Matt went on to pass his NCTJ Exams in Manchester a year later to fulfil his lifelong ambition of becoming a journalist. He picked up work experience along the way at places such as the Racing Post, the Independent, Sportsbeat and the Lancashire Evening Post.
Matt joined NCG in February 2023 and is the website’s main source of tour news, features and opinion. He has reported live from events such as The Open, the Ryder Cup and The Players Championship, having also interviewed and spent time with some of the biggest names in the sport.
Consuming tour golf on what is a 24/7 basis, you can come to Matt for informed views on the game and the latest updates on the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, LPGA Tour, Ladies European Tour and LIV Golf.
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