Rory McIlroy and wife Erica Stoll sparked a romance after years of friendship.

The pro golfer initially met Stoll in 2012 while he was still dating tennis player Caroline Wozniacki. (The exes split in 2014 after three years and were briefly engaged.)

“The thing I love about it is that we were friends before anything romantic happened,” McIlroy gushed to the Irish Independent of his relationship with Stoll in January 2017. “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.’”

McIlroy and Stoll got engaged in Paris in December 2015. Their 2017 wedding was held at a castle in Ireland, and was reportedly attended by A-list guests including Jamie Dornan and Chris Martin. The pair went on to welcome daughter Poppy in September 2020.

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McIlroy filed for divorce from Stoll after seven years of marriage in May 2024, but dismissed the filing one month later.

Scroll down for a look back at McIlroy and Stoll’s private romance: