Rory McIlroy shocked everyone when he filed for divorce from his wife of seven years, Erica Stoll, in May 2024. The couple met in 2012, and kept things strictly platonic between them for years. Rory didn’t pop the question until 2015. Before Erica, Rory dated at least two high-profile celebrities.
Rory McIlroy Dated His Childhood Sweetheart Holly Sweeney for Several Years
Rory and Holly Sweeney met when they were just children, and they became a couple right after he became the youngest person ever to win the West Ireland Championship and the Ireland Closer Championship in 2005. He was only 16 years old at the time while Holly was 14. The pro golfer dished about their relationship during the 2011 documentary, Rory’s Major Breakthrough.
“She knows me better than basically anyone else in this world does, apart from my parents,” Rory said. “And someone like that with you is very grounding.”
However, their romance came to an end in 2011, which was soon after Rory met Caroline Wozniacki.
“I never thought he would do this to me,” Holly told the Irish Sunday Mirror in December 2011. “I always suspected he had a thing for her. He’s always been a big fan of tennis. When he was watching the women’s games he always said he fancied her but I didn’t take it that seriously – little did I know.”
Holly continued, “It was Rory that ran away with Caroline – not the other way around – so I guess I blame Rory, or both of them if I’m totally honest. Obviously we’d separated before, but that wasn’t for any other reason than that we thought we were too young to be in such a serious relationship. This was a different thing altogether.”
Rory McIlroy’s Began Dating Caroline Wozniacki in 2011
Rory and Caroline met at a boxing match in 2011, according to The Daily Mail. Sparks reportedly flew immediately and three years later, Rory proposed in 2013. However, things came crashing down just a few months later and the couple announced their split in May 2014.
“There is no right way to end a relationship that has been so important to two people,” Rory said, per The Daily Mail. “The problem is mine. The wedding invitations issued at the weekend made me realize that I wasn’t ready for all that marriage entails. I wish Caroline all the happiness she deserves and thank her for the great times we’ve had. I will not be saying anything more about our relationship in any setting.”
Rory McIlroy Reportedly Had a Brief Fling With Meghan Markle
In August 2014, Meghan Markle shared a video to her social media accounts that featured Rory. Fans thought the two had chemistry, and the pair later went for a drink in New York City at Cipriani’s.
Royal expert Tom Bower mentioned the fling between Rory and Meghan in his 2022 book, Revenge: Meghan, Harry, And The War Between The Windsors, and said that the couple met after Rory unexpectedly nominated Meghan for the Ice Bucket Challenge.
“She accepted the challenge, on condition that Rory came to her friend’s apartment and personally poured the bucket over her on the balcony,” Tom wrote.
The author explained that Meghan’s boyfriend at the time, Cory Vitiello, questioned Rory and the Duchess of Sussex’s close relationship, but she claimed that the two were just friends.
Not Happily Ever After for Rory McIlroy and Erica Stoll
By the fall of 2014, Rory and Erica had begun dating. After getting engaged in 2015 and married two years later, Erica and Rory welcomed their daughter in August 2020. On May 13, 2024, In Touch confirmed that Rory filed for divorce in Florida. Fans were shocked at the news, especially because the Ireland native was playing in the PGA Championship in Louisville, Kentucky, at the time.
Neither party has released a statement about their decision to part ways.
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