New details about Rory McIlroy’s divorce have emerged via court documents obtained by the Belfast Telegraph.
According to the documents obtained on Sunday, May 26, McIlroy, 35, had allegedly hired a private investigator to serve Erica Stoll with divorce papers while she was at their shared home in Jupiter, Florida. (McIlroy filed his petition in Palm Beach County.)
Stoll, 36, was served McIlroy’s filing by Carl Woods, a former Palm Beach police officer, who now runs private firm CW Services & Associates, on May 13.
McIlroy was in North Carolina at the time to compete in the Wells Fargo Championship on the PGA Tour, which he ultimately won.
“This was just another great day to add to all the rest of them,” McIlroy gushed to CBS Sports’ Amanda Balionis, whom he is not dating despite online speculation, on May 12. “I feel like these people have watched me grow up from winning here [at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte] as a 20-year-old to being the ripe old age of 35 now. They’ve sort of seen my progression through my career and I’ve been lucky enough to win here four times.”
The Belfast Telegraph further reported that McIlroy digitally signed his motion on May 9 before it was given to Stoll. She has 20 days to file a response to the filing.
“A phone call will not protect you,” Stoll’s summons read, per the documents. “Your written response, including the case number given above and the names of the parties, must be filed if you want the court to hear your side of the case. If you do not file your response on time, you may lose the case, and your wages, money and property may thereafter be taken without further warning from the court.”
The summons continued, “There are other legal requirements. You may want to call an attorney right away. If you do not know an attorney, you may call an attorney referral service or a legal aid office (listed in the phone book).”
There has not been any further update on the pair’s divorce, with the May 13 documents among the last updated in the Palm Beach County court database.
Neither McIlroy nor Stoll, who are seeking joint custody of 3-year-old daughter Poppy, have publicly addressed the new court documents.
McIlroy and Stoll were married for seven years before the Irish athlete claimed in his filing that their union was “irretrievably broken.” The documents also reveal that the estranged couple have a prenup in place.
“Rory McIlroy’s communications team confirmed today that a divorce has been filed,” the golfer’s rep told the Irish Star earlier this month. “They stressed Rory’s desire to ensure this difficult time is as respectful and amicable as possible. He will not be making any further comment.”
A source, meanwhile, told Us Weekly that Stoll had been “lonely in their marriage.”
“[Erica] knew what she was getting into with his profession, but once they had Poppy, things really changed and she had a new perspective,” the insider exclusively said in May. “Erica was usually absent for most of his tournaments and was really focused on Poppy.”
McIlroy is currently competing on the PGA Tour, including the PGA Championship and the Charles Schwab Challenge earlier in May, where he finished at T12 and T32, respectively. Next, he is set to compete at the Canadian Open beginning Thursday, May 30.
