Rory McIlroy Breaks Silence After Golf Hiatus: Life Can ‘Get Too Much'

Rory McIlroy has explained why he needed to take a hiatus from playing golf.

“There’s been a lot going on this year from golf-wise and then, obviously, personal-wise as well,” McIlroy, 35, told Patrick Kielty during the Saturday, September 14, episode of The Late Late Show. “Sometimes life can get a lot and it can get too much, and I had to take a little bit of a break and get away from the game more than anything else.”

According to McIlroy, he needed to take space from “the business of golf” to realize his priorities.

“[What’s] actually important to me is friends, family [and] enjoying myself,” the pro athlete said. “Enjoy the fact that you were this little boy in Holywood, and you’ve grown up to be whatever it is that I am, and I need to enjoy that time.”

Golf Pro Rory McIlroy and Wife Erica Stoll's Relationship Timeline

McIlroy had announced in June that he planned to take a few weeks off from golf tournaments. That same month, McIlroy filed to dismiss his divorce from wife Erica Stoll.

Us Weekly confirmed on June 11 that McIlroy filed a notice of voluntary dismissal in Palm Beach, Florida, ending his request for a divorce. The filing was closed out the same day.

“Over the past weeks, Erica and I have realized that our best future was as a family together,” McIlroy told The Guardian in a statement at the time. “Thankfully, we have resolved our differences and look forward to a new beginning.”

McIlroy and Stoll have been married since 2017, during which they welcomed daughter Poppy. Seven years later, news broke in May that McIlroy had filed for divorce and claimed that their marriage was “irretrievably broken.” He also requested joint custody of their 3-year-old daughter.

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Stoll never publicly addressed the pair’s separation, though a source exclusively told Us that she was “lonely” in her marriage.

“She 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 told Us. “Erica was usually absent for most of his tournaments and was really focused on Poppy.”

With the separation legally behind them, McIlroy is getting back on the fairway — and would support Poppy following in his footsteps.

“We got her her first real clubs for her birthday this year, so she’s started taking a little bit of an interest,” he gushed on Saturday. “If she did [become a pro golfer], I would be 100 percent supportive, but at the same time, I wouldn’t mind if she did something different.”