Rory McIlroy and Erica Stoll have been back in the UK, with the World No. 2 preparing for this week’s Genesis Scottish Open in his new home
Patrick Austen-Hardy Senior Sports Journalist
09:48, 11 Jul 2025Updated 09:53, 11 Jul 2025
Rory McIlroy has made one of Erica Stoll’s greatest desires come true(Image: Andrew Redington, Getty Images)
Rory McIlroy has said settling down with his wife Erica Stoll in their new home has reignited his competitive spark.
Last April, the Holywood golf star clinched his fifth major title, sealing the career Grand Slam with a victory at the Masters. The win relieved a huge amount of pressure off McIlroy’s shoulders, ending an 11-year drought without a major.
But after this high point, his performance took a downturn, culminating in only a tied 47th spot at the PGA Championship and a 19th-place finish at the US Open. While he was on the course, work was underway on a new Wentworth property destined to become the family’s home.
McIlroy has previously spoken about his wife Erica’s immense desire to move to the UK and escape the searing heat of Florida. The couple spend a lot of time in their £17million mansion in Jupiter, which used to belong to golf star Ernie Els.
Now the property is finished, McIlroy and Stoll moved into the huge estate, which he has reportedly spent £9m developing. Spending time at the new property has not only been a huge relief for the pair, but it has also relit McIlroy’s fire in his belly.
Speaking at the Renaissance Club in North Berwick ahead of the Genesis Scottish Open, McIlroy said: “We came back a few weeks ago and moved into our new home in Wentworth and have been trying to settle in. It’s amazing what two weeks of a bit of detachment can do for you..
“Sitting there being with your own thoughts for a while. Yeah, it’s been nice to have this time to reflect and also to rekindle my excitement and enthusiasm for the rest of the year. Obviously we have this week in Scotland and then a massive week next week [for the Open] in Portrush.”
McIlroy has reportedly spent around £9million developing his new home in Wentworth(Image: Code Architects / SWNS)
McIlroy has openly confessed that his motivation took a hit after claiming the Grand Slam. During the US Open, he even acknowledged he was not too fussed about potentially failing to make the cut.
It was his time spent with Justin Rose, the contender he defeated for the Masters title in a sudden-death play-off, that prompted him to realise he needed to return to the UK to rediscover his zeal for the sport. McIlroy said: “There’s a detachment from the sort of week-in, week-out grind when you get back over here, and Justin and I were talking about that.
“You play PGA Tour golf for the first 25, 30 weeks of the year, and you need to completely get away from it. This world of golf can become all-encompassing. In this last fortnight, I felt like I could detach and sort of hide in a way. I needed that. My game needed that.”
McIlroy was also sporting a new buzz cut haircut on the eve of the Open, which begins on July 17(Image: 2025 Getty Images)
A little over a year ago, McIlroy and Stoll reversed their decision to divorce. Days before the May 2024 PGA Championship, news broke of McIlroy filing for divorce from his American wife.
Within a month, they settled their differences and chose to abandon the idea of parting ways. Now they are settling down in their lavish new home within the prestigious Wentworth Estate, which has been home to the likes of Prince Andrew, Thailand’s former King Prajadhipok and the infamous former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet.
McIlroy is believed to have purchased the estate in 2023 and has invested millions into transforming the property into his dream family residence. Planning documents describe the abode as a: “Large, detached dwelling sited centrally within a substantive plot.”
