McIlroy and Erica Stoll Hold Hands at Ryder Cup Gala, Signaling Reconciliation
Couple appears united at a welcome dinner in Sands Point as they move past marriage troubles that included a divorce filing last year.
Rory McIlroy and his wife Erica Stoll were photographed holding hands as they arrived at the Ryder Cup gala Tuesday night at Hempstead House in Sands Point, New York, signaling a united front ahead of this weekend’s matches. The professional golfer, 36, and Stoll, 38, wore coordinated black formalwear, with Stoll in a black dress and McIlroy in a matching dark suit.
The moment comes after a difficult period for the couple, who were married for seven years before McIlroy filed for divorce in May 2024. Their marital challenges were publicly documented amid rumors that McIlroy had begun dating sports reporter Amanda Balionis. The divorce filing was voluntarily dismissed in June 2024, and the pair have since been seen together at multiple events, including appearances at the Irish Open, suggesting a reconciliation.
Those reconciliation signals were reinforced earlier this year when McIlroy spoke publicly about resolving their differences and prioritizing their family. Since the June 2024 dismissal, the couple has been photographed together at several high-profile events, and their PDA moments have drawn attention from fans and media alike, underscoring a renewed partnership as they navigate life in the public eye.
McIlroy and Stoll first met in the mid-2010s and were married in April 2017 at Ashford Castle in Ireland. They are parents to a daughter, Poppy, who turns five this year. The family has occasionally shared moments of public warmth, including a kiss McIlroy was seen sharing with Stoll after a recent win, along with a hug for Poppy, illustrating a strengthened family unit amid the golf calendar.
The Ryder Cup, one of the sport’s marquee events, brings together McIlroy’s Europe team and the competition’s broader global spotlight. Tuesday’s gala served as a prelude to the weekend’s matches, with players and partners arriving in formal attire and sharing moments that have drawn substantial attention given the couple’s high-profile history. The public rekindling at the gala follows a broader arc of reconciliation that has spanned several months and multiple public appearances.
As the event unfolds in New York, spectators and fans will be watching to see whether the couple’s renewed public display translates into a stable personal life off the course, even as McIlroy continues to compete at the highest levels of professional golf. The Ryder Cup itself remains the centerpiece of the weekend’s sports schedule, but Tuesday’s optics added a notable chapter to the broader narrative surrounding one of the sport’s best-known couples.