Rory Mcllroy’s Divorce Could Be Excellent News For His Chances At This Weekend’s PGA Championship

Getty Image / Michael Reaves

On Tuesday, reports that superstar golfer Rory McIlroy filed for divorce from his wife, Erica Stoll, after three years of marriage. The paperwork was filed in Palm Beach County, Florida on Monday.

Ironically, he filed the paperwork just one day after a dominant final round at the Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow that helped him capture the tournament crown.

It is interesting timing, as the second major championship of the year, the PGA Championship, is set to begin on Thursday at Valhalla Country Club in Louisville, Kentucky.

Rory McIlroy is on a near ten-year major championship drought, as his last win came at Valhalla in the 2014 PGA Championship in August. Since that tournament, he’s had twenty top-10 finishes in major championships, so it’s not like he’s playing terrible in majors. He just can’t find a way to win one.

But, if you think the distractions of a pending divorce made public will throw McIlroy off his game, you may be surprised to find the data suggests the opposite.

McIlroy famously was engaged to former world-number-one women’s tennis player Caroline Wozniacki from 2013-2014, before calling it off. He responded to that breakup with one of the great summers of golf we have ever seen.

That’s a completely dominant stretch that includes two major championship wins, his last two. Does Rory play better golf when he’s heartbroken? The data does tell a story.

Currently, Rory is second-favorite to win the tournament, with odds around +750 at various sportsbooks. Scottie Scheffler, who recently welcomed the birth of his first child on the back of winning The Masters in April, is the favorite at around +400.

I’ve shied away from picking Rory to win a major the last few years. Quite frankly, I thought he had lost the ability to keep composure in a major for all 72 holes. But, this could be what gets him across the finish line, so to speak.