Getty Image / David Cannon
Rory McIlroy revealed last week during the BMW Championship that his wife, Erica, was expected to give birth to the couple’s first child any day now. Well, Monday afternoon came along and the four-time major winner is now a father as Poppy Kennedy McIlroy was born in Jupiter, Florida.
Poppy Kennedy, by the way, is an awesome name.
https://twitter.com/McIlroyRory/status/1301488277241958402
As McIlroy shared the news last week that Erica was expecting to have the baby any day now, he was asked what he would do if she suddenly went into labor during last week’s BMW Championship or this week’s FedEx Cup Playoff finale, the Tour Championship.
“I’d be out of here,” he said. “I’m going to play in many more Tour Championships and it’s only going to be the birth of your first child once. That trumps anything else.”
Now the Tour Championship is here and baby Poppy is now a few days old, so all signs point to McIlroy teeing it up this week in Atlanta as he looks to not only become $15 million richer with a win but also become the first player ever to win three FedEx Cups.
I think if this was just a regular Tour stop McIlroy would absolutely be taking the week off, but the Tour Championship has a little extra juice behind it.
As of right now, McIlroy is still listed on the tee sheet for Friday’s opening round playing alongside Brendon Todd at 1:30 PM.