Rory McIlroy insiders reveal the hidden role wife Erica had in win after divorce shock

Rory McIlroy achieved his lifetime goal of on Sunday - but he couldn't have done it The couple shocked the world in May 2024 when filed for divorce after seven years, citing an 'irretrievably broken marriage' as the reason for the split.

Shortly after news of the divorce broke, McIlroy was seen without his wedding ring while playing at the 2024 PGA Championship in Louisville. "Rory McIlroy's communications team confirmed today that a divorce has been filed," a spokeswoman for McIlroy said that same month. "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."

However, just one month after filing for divorce, McIlroy confirmed that he and Stoll would remain together. He said at the time: "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, and look forward to a new beginning."

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The divorce announcement came as a shock for many close to the couple, reports. "They [McIlroy and Stoll] always seemed so besotted with each other. No one saw it coming," a source claimed. "He's had so much pressure on him over the past few years. There was a feeling that perhaps he was trying to shut out any distractions that might be affecting his game and that was why he initially wanted to split with Erica."

They continued: "But he's done a lot of soul-searching and seems to have embraced Erica and Poppy more closely over the past year as part of his mental preparation for the Masters. They've been very present in Augusta. He's come across as very much the family man. In the past he's been so tense, there have been several big meltdowns. Having them by his side seems to have helped him develop a more relaxed mental attitude and the more relaxed Rory is, the better he plays." McIlroy's team declined to comment.

But speaking back in 2020 about how his life changed when daughter Poppy was born, McIlroy said: "I grew up as an only child and an only child playing golf so I feel like the whole revolved around me for a long time, and now it doesn't. It revolves around this little person... and it’s a nice change." He continued: "I think you need to be a pretty selfish person to be a good player at this game, and a little bit of selflessness probably isn’t a bad thing for me."

As well as , it's evident he'd be nowhere without the support of his wife and daughter. At the weekend, he revealed he prepared for round three of the Masters by watching the 2016 Disney film Zootopia with his daughter. His wife also 'convinced' him to watch series Bridgerton with her, despite him being 'very against it'.

On Sunday, the 35-year-old finally to win his fifth major title - and his first in 11 years. has headed to Georgia for the last 11 years knowing that if he could overcome Augusta he would become the sixth man in history to win all four major titles. But for more than a decade he has come up short, with some agonising near-misses sprinkled in. That all changed on Sunday as he finally put on the iconic Green Jacket after beating Britain's Justin Rose in a dramatic play-off.

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