Rory McIlroy's 'unusual' Amanda Balionis interview as he 'skipped' Erica Stoll's name

Fresh from his win, Rory McIlroy has expressed his gratitude to . That included , his parents and four-year-old daughter Poppy, though was nowhere to be heard.

In a conversation with CBS reporter Amanda Balionis, McIlroy mentioned his desire to make Poppy proud. He said: "I have had an incredible support system the whole way throughout my life as an only child, the support that I had from my parents, they saw some potential in me as a golfer, and they give me every opportunity to try to fulfill that potential. I said on the green, while I was doing the trophy presentation, I hadn't given up for 17 years. And I think that's a really good lesson for any young boy or girl that was watching that: Never give up on your dreams and to keep fighting for it. And if you do the work, and you put in the effort, that you can achieve anything, and hopefully, Poppy saw that today."

However, viewers noticed one significant person in McIlroy's life was absent from his acknowledgments - his wife, Erica Stoll. It is possible the online clip was only a portion of the full interview, and McIlroy may have mentioned her in another part of the conversation.

Nevertheless, fans have been left curious about why she was not mentioned in the available snippet. In the wake of McIlroy and Stoll's surprise divorce announcement last year, rumours swirled that the golf sensation was romantically linked to sports reporter Balionis.

Yet those have remained unconfirmed as neither Mcllroy nor Balionis have publicly addressed the speculation. Presently, McIlroy and Stoll's relationship seems to be flourishing after calling off their divorce, with the latter credited for playing a pivotal role in his latest triumph.

McIlroy frequently showers his wife and family with compliments during interviews and was seen giving his other half an affectionate hug following his recent win. Nevertheless, in recently shared interview footage with Balionis, he conspicuously omitted any mention of his partner.

Addressing this striking omission, body language expert Judi James spoke to and remarked on the peculiar arrangement: "The set-up for McIlroy's interview with Balionis was unusual in the way that it featured both Rory and Amanda in equal camera close-up rather than focusing primarily on Rory's face and letting Balionis do the usual interviewer's back of the head 'noddys'.

"This showed that inner child in detail, with McIlroy's wide eyes, raised brows and an understandably boyishly smug smile of utter delight that projected self-assurance and confidence. The relaxed beaming smile evaporated slightly when Balionis referred to the 'village' that will go to create success. His eye expression became slightly wary, and the reference to his 'mom and dad' made him close his eyes slowly with some hints of choking up. He sucked his lips inward in a gesture of self-control and then performed a mouth shrug."

James went onto note that McIlroy's gaze turned to the side when referring to his "incredible support system", which is often considered a reflection of the past. He then shook his head in what she described as a "denial ritual" when he spoke of the "support from my parents", while his use of some "verbal stutters" suggested a dip in his confidence. She added: "He performed a wince and shrugged his shoulders as he diminished the size of his 'close-knit village.'

"McIlroy skipped mention of Erica to reference his daughter Poppy next, with his face suddenly lighting up in a teeth-baring smile. His tongue poked through his teeth, and as he spoke of his daughter, he placed heavy tonal emphasis on the word 'her', which he used twice. His eyes rolled upward in an arc and then, rather than delve too forensically into his 'close knit village,' he performed something of a verbal swerve, focusing on the lessons his success would give to young people."

In May 2024, Rory announced he was filing for divorce after seven years of marriage. However, by June, the couple had a change of heart and withdrew the divorce filing in a shock turnaround.

Now they appear to be all loved-up, with the couple sharing a heartfelt moment after he completed his career Grand Slam at Augusta. James also explored their "celebratory rituals" after his triumph, even drawing parallels with First Lady Melania Trump.

"His celebratory rituals with wife Erica looked very parent/child," she continued. "Rory puffed loudly as he approached her, with his eyes on her in a gesture of relief and a release of pent-up pressure and stress that seemed to have come up from his boots.

"Rory held both arms out like a small child asking for a hug and when they hug happened, he clung round Erica's neck like a needy child. Erica's responses were complimentary in terms of looking parental as she patted and rubbed his back in soothing rituals.

"Although her wide-brimmed hat pulled off the 'Melania effect' of distancing and covering in the way the First Lady's hat did during the inauguration. It created a more tempered response, and the pats could have been seen as a signal to break."