Photo: Erick W. Rasco; Photo: Getty Images/Sports Illustrated via Getty Ima
If you were anywhere near a television this weekend, you’re probably aware that the final round of the 89th Masters Tournament was played. Northern Irishman Rory McIlroy won, thus completing a career Grand Slam, which happens when someone wins all four major championships (the Masters, the PGA Championship, the U.S. Open, and the Open Championship). Congrats to him. And even though he’s $4.2 million richer, he’s not immune to online gossip — following his victory, McIlroy stirred up some chatter after embracing his wife, Erica Stoll.
The two have been married since 2017 and share a 4-year-old daughter, Poppy. But back in May, McIlroy filed for divorce the day after Mother’s Day, stating the marriage was “irretrievably broken.” Less than one month later, the golf pro made a 180 and canceled the impending split. “There have been rumors about my personal life recently, which is unfortunate. Responding to each rumor is a fool’s game,” McIlroy told The Guardian. “Over the past weeks, Erica and I have realized that our best future was as a family together. Thankfully, we have resolved our differences and look forward to a new beginning.”
The rumors McIlroy referred to are seemingly the ones about him dating CBS sports reporter Amanda Balionis during a few weeks of marital chaos. Following his win on Sunday, he and Balionis were reunited for a post-match interview. She posted a photo, writing, “It took 17 Masters starts, 11 years of attempting to complete the career Grand Slam and 73 this week but Rory McIlroy has his Green Jacket and has solidified his legacy alongside Tiger, Jack, Gary, Hogan and Sarazen. What a week and a battle down to the very end.” If McIlroy and Balionis indeed were an item, this move feels very suspicious.
It’s so suspicious that the Daily Mail tapped a “body-language expert” to analyze McIlroy and Stoll’s exchange following the win. “Erica uses back pats, which are firstly a gesture of gentle affection but which also usually signal a desire to break from an embrace, while Rory appears much more clingy,” Judi James told the outlet. “Rory looks overwhelmed and clingy, while Erica’s response appears a little more polite, subdued and tempered.” Okay!
Whether Stoll’s allegedly “subdued” response meant anything is unclear — but McIlroy seems to have fanned the flames even further after leaving his wife out of his victory speech. He thanked his team, which he referred to as his “family”; his daughter; the volunteers; and the staff. But he never named Stoll. Could he have meant her and not the team when he said “family”? Sure. But after all this pubic drama, you would think he’d have made a point of calling her out specifically.
Is there a reason to be this invested in a pro golfer’s personal life? Not at all. We’ll just have to wait and see if this all plays out on season four of Full Swing, I guess.
This post has been updated.
