Rory McIlroy’s Masters win quickly gave way to fan backlash after his allegedly “lukewarm” post-victory hug with wife Erica Stoll went viral. McIlroy became only the fourth golfer to win back-to-back Masters titles Sunday, and the first since Tiger Woods in 2001 and 2002. But his historic victory did not quiet the controversy over the 36-year-old’s personal life.
It didn’t take long for fans to zero in on one awkward detail from the celebration. Amid ongoing, though unsubstantiated, rumors of extramarital affairs and possible divorce from his wife of nine years, Erica Stoll, McIlroy publicly embraced his wife after his victory speech Sunday.
Fans quickly jumped online to torch McIlroy for his “lukewarm” hug according to a report by Us Weekly, which documented the fan reaction.
McIlroy filed for divorce from Stoll in April 2024. But just one month later, the golf superstar withdrew his divorce filing.
“There have been rumors about my personal life recently, which is unfortunate,” McIlroy told the Guardian newspaper at the time. “Responding to each rumor is a fool’s game. 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.”
But fans claimed to detect ongoing tensions in the post-Masters scene between McIlroy and his wife.
Fans Unimpressed With McIlroy’s Public Hug
The Us Weekly report quoted a McIlroy “insider” saying that the marriage was an uneasy one, in which both the golf champion and his wife “felt lonely” at times.
“Rory was a hard person to be married to,” the insider told the magazine. “[Erica] knew what she was getting into with his profession, but once they had Poppy, things really changed and she had a new perspective. Erica was usually absent for most of his tournaments and was really focused on Poppy.”
Poppy is the five-year-old daughter of McIlroy and Stoll.
The online fans were far less sympathetic, however, with one saying that he was “out” on the golfer after witnessing the allegedly unenthusiastic hug.
“Good for Rory, but he gave bigger hugs to his private equity guys he has known for 4 months than his wife and daughter. Great to see a back to back winner, but out on that dude,” the magazine quoted the fan as posting online.
Another slammed the McIlroy-Stoll embrace as “lukewarm,” while a third wrote, “Rory having to call his wife and daughter over to hug him. Tough scene,” according to the Us Weekly report.
Stoll Draws Attention For Expensive Watch
Amid the online controversy over her hug with her husband, Stoll herself drew some perhaps unwelcome attention for the watch she was wearing during the final round of the Masters Tournament on Sunday, according to a Sports Illustrated report.
According to the report, social media influencer and watch expert Chad Alexander compiled a video documenting the various watches worn by golfers’ wives and girlfriends at the tournament, zeroing in on a rose gold Patek Philippe Nautilus that included a diamond bezel that adorned Stoll’s left wrist.
The luxury watch website Chrono24 puts the prices of various models of the Patek Philippe Nautilus in a price range from $26,000 to $3.9 million.
“Alexander estimated that the watch is worth about $95,000, although the same watch (or something very close to it) can be found for a staggering $459,000 sum on Patek Philippe’s website,” Sports Illustrated reported.
Her husband can certainly afford it, however. According to the PGA Tour, McIlroy has earned a total of $114,696,641 from tournament purse winnings alone.
Rory McIlroy Roasted For ‘Lukewarm’ Hug of Wife Erica Stoll After Masters Win