Getty Rory McIlroy pictured with his wife Erica Stoll prior to the 2018 Ryder Cup Gala.
Rory McIlroy is trying to avoid using his phone, something that his wife Erica McIlroy (formerly Stoll) gives him a hard time about. McIlroy noted prior to the final round of the Tour Championship, that he has been reading the book Digital Minimalism.
“No, no. It’s funny. It was lying on the bed the other night, and I was on my phone, and Erica said, ‘That’s ironic,'” Rory noted during the Tour Championship. “But no, it’s just using it the right way, I guess.”
Rory met his future wife when she was working for the PGA Tour. The couple got married on April 22, 2017 at an Irish Castle. Aside from their conversations about technology, it was Erica who helped the golfer snap out of a post-Masters funk in 2018 as he detailed to the New York Post.
…I was binge-watching a couple of shows, I read a couple of books, drank a few bottles of wine — no, not like that, not all at once! That sounds really bad. It wasn’t that bad…But it got to the point where Erica had to drag me out of the house. She just said we’re going to go out and do something. And once I got back into my routine, I was fine. Before, there were a few quiet moments when you catch yourself thinking back on the round, even though I was trying to immerse myself in anything but golf.
McIlroy Was Looking for a Partner Who Was Outside of Celebrity World
GettyRory McIlroy and wife Erica Stoll attending the 2018 Wimbledon tournament.
Erica prefers to stay away from the spotlight, and it is something that Rory admires about his wife. Rory was previously dating tennis player Caroline Wozniacki, but realized it has been easier for him to be with someone who is not a celebrity.
“I thought at the time that being with someone that was in a similar position to you was the obvious answer,” McIlroy told The Independent in 2017. “But it isn’t, because you can never get away from it. You can never detach yourself and try to come back to the real world. And that’s why I feel in such a good place now. I don’t feel Erica wants to change me in any way. I can be myself around her; there’s no bulls—, no acting, no show.”
McIlroy Is One of the Top Contenders for the FedEx Cup Championship
GettyRory McIlroy and wife Erica Stoll at East Lake golf course in Atlanta.
Heading into the final round at the Tour Championship, Rory was one of the top contenders for the FedEx Cup championship. When asked what the large paycheck may mean to his caddie, McIlroy used the opportunity to emphasize how much he enjoys being able to share what he has with those close to him.
“Probably made him feel better, I think. So what’s the reason for having it if you can’t — not share it, but make people around you feel — see, I was actually reading — sorry. I wasn’t reading,” McIlroy noted. “I was listening to music on the way here, and it was a J. Cole song called “Middle Child,” and it talked about him — it talks in the lyrics about him having money, but what does it mean if you can’t — it talks about flying first class, but what does it mean if you can’t have the people that you want with you flying the same way, or whatever it is. So I think that’s one of the luxuries of having money is that you can help others that you love, and you can share it around, and it doesn’t all just have to be about you. That’s the cool thing.”