Rory McIlroy was spotted practising and preparing at Valhalla for the PGA Championship not long after news of his divorce from Erica Stoll hit and rocked the golf world Tuesday
Rory McIlroy was back on the course shortly after news of his divorce rocked the golf world – and in a positive mood.
With the PGA Championship at Valhalla, Kentucky, set to tee off Thursday, the 35-year-old was spotted hitting the range. He then took to a practice round where he could be seen smiling with his team. The Northern Irishman is one of the favourites, along with Scottie Scheffler, to lift the Wannamaker Trophy as evidenced by his form in recent tournaments.
McIlroy won the Zurich Classic of New Orleans in late April, alongside Shane Lowry, and parlayed that success into a win at the Wells Fargo Championship on Sunday. He arrives at Valhalla with great confidence after seemingly struggling to find a rhythm throughout the early portion of the year.
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“I really got some confidence from New Orleans winning with Shane,” the 35-year-old shared after his win. “And then coming into this week, at a golf course I’m comfortable at, my golf swing feels a lot more comfortable than it has done. Going to a venue [Valhalla] next week where I’ve won, it feels like the stars are aligning a little bit.
“But I have got a lot of golf to play and a lot of great players to try and beat next week. I’m going into the next major of the year feeling really good about myself.”
However, while he remains confident in his chances at the PGA Championship, McIlroy will have to do so with more baggage than he anticipated. On Tuesday, news broke that the Northern Irishman had filed for divorce from his wife, Erica Stoll, with documents having been submitted in Florida on Monday.
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The two first met in 2012 at the Ryder Cup at Medinah Country Club in Illinois, where Stoll was working the event, and began dating two years later. At the time, McIlroy was engaged to tennis star Caroline Wozniacki but shared after the breakup that he “wasn’t ready for all that marriage entails.”
“Erica, that week, was always the one that was checking us in and out,” McIlroy told NBC Sports in 2019 about his then-partner. “She was there at transportation, so she was always in the car park over the [by the clubhouse.]
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