Getty Image
Golf star Rory McIlroy filed for divorce in mid-May while gearing up for the PGA Championship. Less than a month later, he’s decided to call that split off with the US Open quickly approaching.
It’s being reported that McIlroy and wife, Erica, have voluntarily dismissed that filing submitted in the State of Florida just weeks prior.
He provided a statement to The Guardian on the situation.
“Over the past weeks, Erica and I have realized that our best future was as a family together. Thankfully, we have resolved our differences and look forward to a new beginning.”
-Rory McIlroy
Most were shocked to hear that initial announcement as the two had been married for seven years, sharing one child, after having fittingly met at the 2012 Ryder Cup.
As the golf world searched for answers, new details began to arise.
One particular tidbit related to a potential factor in the divorce decision, which noted that McIlroy’s wife was unhappy with the amount of golf that he played.
A source of US Weekly said that “a point of contention in Rory’s marriage with Erica was that Erica was lonely in their marriage.”
“Rory was a hard person to be married to. She knew what she was getting into with his profession, but once they had Poppy, things really changed, and she had a new perspective. Erica was usually absent for most of his tournaments and was really focused on Poppy. [They] were living very different lives the last two years with him being on the road, and eventually she had a breaking point.”
With that unhappiness in mind, Rory McIlroy provided a retirement timeline, of sorts, after calling off the divorce.
“I’m really proud of my body of work over the past 15 years and everything that I have achieved, whether it be season-long titles or individual tournaments or majors,” he said when reflecting on his career to this point.
He took things a step further when speaking to the media at Pinehurst, hinting at how much longer he might play professional golf.
“Still have a good little bit of time here, hopefully for the next 10 years. I still like to think I’ve got a good run ahead of me. Whatever those numbers are, whatever the totals add up to, I’ll accept that and feel like I’ve done pretty well for a little boy from Northern Ireland that dreamed of playing golf for a living one day.”
Another decade on the PGA Tour? That appeared to be McIlroy’s insinuation.
That would put him around 45 years old when he hangs it up, providing plenty of time for life after golf.
As for now, he’ll celebrate the resolution of differences before turning the attention back to the course. McIlroy is set to tee off in the US Open on Thursday as he eyes his first major win since 2014.