Who is Rory McIlroy's wife Erica Stoll after Caroline Wozniacki engagement shock?

On the eve of the US PGA Championship, Rory McIlroy has filed for divorce from wife Erica Stoll.

The pair first met in 2012 when Erica was working at the Ryder Cup for the PGA of America, and were married in 2017. Their child, Poppy Kennedy, was born in 2020.

Court records show that the golfing legend submitted a "petition for dissolution of marriage" in Palm Beach County in Florida on Monday.

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The Northern Irishman's spokesperson confirmed that the speculation was true and "stressed Rory's desire to ensure this difficult time is as respectful and amicable as possible".

After 10 years together, the couple have decided to call it quits. But for those who don't know, who is Erica Stoll?

Where is Rory McIlroy's wife from?

Stoll is originally from Irondequoit, New York, which is part of Monroe County. The town has a population of just over 50,000 and is a suburb of the city of Rochester.

It was at the Rochester Institute of Technology that she graduated with a degree in marketing in 2008.

Ties to golf

Stoll used to work for the PGA of America, and that is something she aspired to be part of when she left college.

"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," she said to the Democrat and Chronicle in 2008.

Her job role was office manager and manager of championship volunteer operations.

Meeting Rory

The pair met at the 2012 Ryder Cup, where Erica was working as a PGA transport official.

They first crossed paths when McIlroy overslept and almost missed his tee time, so she organised a police escort for him to get there on time.

Recalling this encounter with Golf Channel, McIlroy 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."

The pair first started out as friends, and things didn't turn romantic until two years later. When they first met, McIlroy was engaged to Danish tennis player Caroline Wozniacki. However, the couple broke up a few months after this engagement 2014, meaning that McIlroy was single.

First addressing his new flame in 2015, McIlroy 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."

Staying out of the spotlight

Despite her husband being one of the most famous sportsmen on the planet, Stoll does very well to keep herself out of the limelight.

Her Instagram account is on private, and she has also publicly spoken of her desire to have a quiet life: "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. We are excited, our parents are excited so it is a really happy time."

The world number two seed is set to speak to the media at 6pm on Wednesday ahead of the second major of the year, starting on Thursday at Valhalla in Louisville, Kentucky.