It was a sheer coincidence that Rory McIlroy met Erica Stoll. Friends at first, they developed a fondness for each other with each passing day. Erica Stoll came into the Ulsterman’s life when McIlroy was solidifying his position as the elite of the PGA Tour.

Speaking at that time, McIlroy said, “For me, Erica brings such a level of normality to everything. She has a calming presence, a sereneness, and that’s not just on me; it is noticeable in any company.” Although they have mostly kept their private lives away from the media limelight and Stoll does maintain a ‘low-key’ presence, here is what we know about McIlroy’s 35-year-old wife.

Erica Stoll was a tennis fan but dreamed of working for the PGA

Erica Stoll was born in Irondequoit, New York, in 1988. Stoll grew up in the Rochester suburb alongside her sister Natalie. McIlroy’s wife shares her birthday, September 10, with a legend of the game and the Ulsterman’s hero, Arnold Palmer. They even talked about having a joint birthday party, Rory McIlroy once revealed. But that never happened.

Erica studied at the West Irondequoit school and was an avid tennis player as a kid, per the Democrats and Chronicle. After that, she moved to the Rochester Institute of Technology to study marketing. It was during her final year that she moved closer to golf. The 2008 PGA Championship at Oak Hill, a ten-mile drive from her institute, was the last conviction she needed.

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“The way PGA employees present themselves is so admirable and professional. That’s the kind of job I want, and it’s doing something I love,” the Democrat & Chronicle quoted her as saying in 2008. That admiration grew in part because she was working as an on-site office manager for the PGA in the lead-up to the event. Her big moment was Tom Watson walking into her office. And it was only that job that also landed her close to her eventual husband.

How Erica Stoll met her future husband (and saved the day)

Stoll was working as a full-time PGA of America employee at the 2012 Ryder Cup. That was McIlroy’s second Ryder Cup appearance, the first on away soil. The Northern Irishman, however, mixed up his tee time, which was 11.25 a.m. CDT. But McIlroy thought it was at 12.25 PM, which was the ET tee time. 

A watchful Stoll noticed that McIlroy was missing and alerted the officials. Eventually, McIlroy received a police escort to arrive on time for his Sunday singles match against Keegan Bradley. A 2&1 victory followed one of the most exhilarating comebacks in golf. McIlroy recalled his first meeting with Stoll in an interview with Golf Channel in 2019.

The Northern Irishman said, “Erica that week was always the one that was checking us in and out. She was there at transportation, so she was always in the car park over there. But yeah, it’s still cool to look around and think about that week, and obviously everything that’s happened since then. It’s pretty cool.”

But the ‘Miracle at Medinah’ was significant for McIlroy for a very personal reason as well.

Stoll and McIlroy started off as friends. The golf player was just coming off his split with tennis star Caroline Wozniacki. They announced their engagement in 2013 but broke up eventually. Stoll and McIlroy started dating in 2014.

Before they went public about their relationship, the Northern Irishman was spotted with Stoll at the local 2Vine restaurant and Magpie pub during the 2015 PGA Championship. In May of the same year, during an interview with the Times of London, McIlroy revealed that they have been dating for a little more than six months.

He said, “I am very happy in my love life. We haven’t really been putting it out there. She is from America, which is why I like to spend time in Palm Beach … The past six or seven months have been really nice. That part of my life is going great,”

For McIlroy, Stoll was a breath of fresh air. The 24-time PGA Tour winner said, “I found it refreshing being with someone who was living a normal life rather than, ‘Oh! My jet is 30 minutes late!”

Heaping praise on her further, McIlroy added, “She has been a great influence on me and has given such a great balance to my life, between who I am when people see me out here and who I am at home.” Naturally, a wedding was on the cards, but they waited two more years before walking down the aisle.

The McIlroy wedding was a grand affair

McIlroy proposed to Stoll in Paris in 2015. After getting engaged McIlroy talked about how Stoll likes to stay out of the limelight. In an interview with the Irish Independent, he said, “Erica has been around me quite a lot at tournaments but we have really just tried to keep it low-key. She is a very low-key person, not the kind to broadcast stuff, but that side of my life is really good just now.”

Two years later they tied the knot at the 13th-century Ashford Castle in Ireland (the famous shooting location of John Ford’s directorial, The Quiet Man). The regal wedding had Stevie Wonder as the musical guest, with cameos from Ed Sheeran, Chris Martin, and Niall Horan. From the golf community, Sergio Garcia, Shane Lowry, Thomas Bjorn, Martin Kaymer, and Padraig Harrington were invited. Lowry, however, skipped the wedding because it coincided with his grandmother’s 80th birthday.

But the list of high-profile guests didn’t stop there. Billionaire J.P. McManus and actor Jamie Dornan of Fifty Shades and Belfast fame were also present. Ryan Giggs, a former Manchester United player, also arrived at the scene. The wedding had more than 200 guests, per the Irish Independent. Whereas, Golfweek put the total cost at $1.2 million. Reportedly, the Northern Irishman put anti-drone technology to good use to keep everything under wraps.

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Apparently, Erica and McIlroy went on a private trip to Inchagoill Island. Mid-day at that time noted that the couple also went to Canouan Island in St. Vincent and the Grenadines after the wedding.

Three years after their marriage, McIlroy and Stoll welcomed their firstborn, Poppy, on August 31, 2020, in Jupiter, where the golfer is currently settled. Last April, both the mother and the daughter were on the greens working as the Ulsterman’s caddie at the Masters. Poppy has accompanied her mother a number of times since then, most recently at the 2024 PLAYERS Championship.

Erica Stoll, Who Is Married to Rory McIlroy, Used to Be ‘Pi**Ed off’ at Tiger Woods, Over 1 Disturbing Habit