Rory McIlroy once revealed exactly why he is so happy with his wife while taking a shot at his ex-fiancée, Caroline Wozniacki. McIlroy last Sunday completed a career grand slam by clinching his first Masters victory, beating Justin Rose in a nail-biting playoff.
After donning the iconic green jacket at his 17th attempt and ending an 11-year wait for his fifth major, the 35-year-old celebrated the career-defining moment with his wife, Erica Stoll, and their daughter Poppy immediately afterwards at Augusta National. His marriage to Stoll had been under the limelight after he filed for divorce last May, only for both parties to patch things up within a month. Having begun their romance in 2015 and got married in 2017, the Northern Irishman previously singled out how grounded she is as the main reason for how happy he was with her.
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And he simultaneously appeared to fire a dig at his ex- fiancée, former world No. 1 tennis star Wozniacki, saying in 2017: "The thing I love about it is that we were friends before anything romantic happened. We met when she was working for the PGA of America, and renting a condo in Palm Beach, and I found it refreshing being with someone who was living a normal life rather than, 'Oh! My jet is 30 minutes late!'
"I thought at the time that being with someone that was in a similar position to you was the obvious answer. But it isn't, because you can never get away from it. You can never detach yourself and try to come back to the real world. And that's why I feel in such a good place now. I don't feel Erica wants to change me in any way. I can be myself around her; there's no bulls***, no acting, no show."
Wozniacki was engaged to the newly-crowned Masters champion for three years from 2011, before he infamously ended things over a phone call, not long after their wedding invitations had been sent out. And it appears there is still no love lost between the pair as Wozniacki seemingly took a subtle swipe at McIlroy during the tournament last week as he faced ups and downs on the green.
The former Australian Open winner watched the events unfold with a keen eye and joined ESPN at Augusta last Friday, where she admitted her fascination towards the trials top athletes face, particularly in golf.
She explained how she finds it intriguing to watch the likes of McIlroy struggle under pressure: "There's so much pressure here, it's the small margins. These greens are so difficult, so if you don't hit it at the perfect spot, you go from being in a position for maybe going for a birdie to being lucky getting a bogey.
"Watching someone who is so good at their craft I think has always been very inspiring, whether it's tennis, golf, at work, whatever it is. As a spectator, it's always fun to see when the best in the world are struggling, and that's what you get here.”
Some fans speculated that her comments were about McIlroy’s performance, where he carded an even 72 on Thursday and refused to speak to the press afterwards. But despite his rocky start, McIlroy bounced back, climbing the leaderboard with a second-round 66, featuring consecutive birdies and an eagle, and leaving fans and commentators in awe of his resilience.
Wozniacki, 34, also confirmed that McIlroy wasn’t on her list of favourites for this year's Masters, revealing a family betting tradition. She said: "David and I, my husband, we always pick a winner before the tournament starts. We pick one that we think has a big chance of winning, and that was [Ludvig] Aberg."
McIlroy had the last laugh, however, as Aberg finished seventh after a nightmare final two holes. And his relationship with Stoll appears to be in a healthy place now too, with the golf star reportedly making moves to set up roots in England. They are currently based in a nine-bedroom mansion, located in the exclusive Bear's Club golf community in Jupiter, Florida. However, McIlroy once admitted that Stoll was eager to spend more time in the UK, owing to her “dislike of the sun”.
After their reconciliation last June, the golfer addressed the speculation surrounding his personal life in a statement to The Guardian: "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, we have resolved our differences and look forward to a new beginning."
Reports last year claimed that McIlroy had purchased a plot of land in Wentworth, Surrey, before filing for divorce, and had already invested heavily in constructing a property. The Daily Mail has since claimed that a move to the UK could happen as a way for McIlroy to reward Stoll for agreeing to continue their marriage.
Meanwhile, a source told The Sun about the Wentworth house plans around the time McIlroy filed for divorce: "Rory could easily have seen the family's future at Wentworth and in London – at least up until recently. He had spent between £10m and £14m on plans for the home at Wentworth, which he was having built to their specifications."