Before divorcing wife Erica Stoll earlier this week, Rory McIlroy allegedly spent between ‘£10m and £14m on preparations for a new home at Wentworth with his family’.
Three days prior to the US PGA Championship at Valhalla commencing, McIlroy, 35, unexpectedly filed for divorce from his wife on Monday.
Poppy, Rory McIlroy’s baby daughter, was born in 2020 to Erica Stoll.
The World No. 2 was last spotted smiling with wife Erica at The Players Championship in March, according a report in The Sun.
However, Erica and Poppy were never to be seen with Rory at The Masters last month.
According to a source who spoke with The Sun, McIlroy’s friends were shocked to learn of his divorce, calling it a “complete bombshell.”
This comes after it was claimed that McIlroy purchased a piece of land in Surrey, England’s Wentworth Estate.
In addition to his property in Florida, McIlroy is thought to hold properties in Holywood, Northern Ireland, where he grew up, and in London.
This week, a source revealed to The Sun that McIlroy’s most recent plans to relocate to Wentworth Estate in England were real.
An unnamed source told the publication, “Rory could easily have seen the family’s future at Wentworth and in London— at least up until recently.”
“He was having the house at Wentworth built to their specifications, and he had spent between £10 million and £14 million on the drawings.
It’s the birthplace of European golf and home to some of his friends, including golfers Justin Rose and Ernie Els.
“For those who know Rory, the news of his divorce came as a huge surprise.
“It was evidently not the case for anyone who saw him with Erica at the Players Championship in March, even though they would have assumed everything was OK. That explains why this has taken so many by surprise.”
It is now unclear if McIlroy will carry out his intentions to relocate to England or if he would stay in the US.
On Monday of this week, McIlroy filed for divorce in Florida’s Palm Beach Country Court.
Unbeknownst to the public, Rory and Erica executed a prenuptial agreement in March 2017, one month prior to their marriage.
They also consented to’share personal responsibility’ for their Florida-born daughter Poppy.
Although the legal cause of the divorce remains unknown, McIlroy’s staff acknowledged that his marriage was “irretrievably broken.”
During this week’s US PGA Championship, McIlroy’s staff has asked all media to abstain from asking him any “personal” questions.
That hasn’t stopped a few reporters from trying their luck with McIlroy at the Valhalla media center, either.
During his press conference on Wednesday, McIlroy calmly answered a rowdy personal question. After his initial round, he stymied a reporter who attempted to get a little more information out of him.
This week, McIlroy will be playing at Valhalla after winning back-to-back on the PGA Tour.
He hopes to win his first major championship in almost a decade after starting the US PGA Championship with a strong 5-under 66.
Given that he inked his name on the Wanamaker Trophy at the location of this week’s competition in 2014, his prospects appear promising.
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