Rory McIlroy is one of the greatest golfers of his generation, a grand slam champion, who is from Holywood, Northern Ireland. His parents are Gerry and Rosie McIlroy, and he has a daughter, Poppy, with his wife Erica Stoll.
Here’s what you need to know about Rory McIlroy’s family.
1. The McIlroy family is from a small town in Northern Ireland
McIlroy was born to Rosie and Gerry on May 4, 1989, in Hollywood, County Down, Northern Ireland. Unlike a lot of star golfers, McIlroy didn’t come from extraordinary means. He was raised in a modest brick house in Holywood.
According to a 2021 census, Holywood has a population of nearly 11,000. That still makes it the 27th-biggest city in diminutive Northern Ireland. Claims of McIlroy being a “hometown” hero when the Open Championship comes to Royal Portrush are slightly overstated. Holywood is about an hour’s drive from the famous course.
2. McIlroy’s parents worked to support their son’s dream
Because McIlroy wasn’t born into wealth like a lot of golfers, his parents had to grind to support his golf habit from a young age. His mother worked an overnight shift, while his dad at one point balanced three different jobs.
“My dad’s selflessness — he worked three jobs at one point, McIlroy told the “Beyond the Clubhouse” podcast in 2022. “He’d get up in the morning, he’d do one job, in the afternoon, he’d go to his next job, and then he’d go in the evening to the bar to do his third job. My dad took on three jobs for quite a few years. He worked 80-, 90-hour weeks some weeks.
That allowed McIlroy to play his golf at Holywood Golf Club, where he honed his skills as a brilliantly talented junior golfer. It was then he made a now-famous appearance on a local TV show, chipping golf balls into his “mom’s” washing machine.
3. He’s been through the ups and downs with his wife Erica
As arguably the most famous golfer in the world not named Tiger Woods, McIlroy’s personal life is of great interest to a lot of people. His previous relationship with tennis start Caroline Wozniacki might have been the height of such intrigue.
After the two split, McIlroy eventually found Erica Stoll, a New York native, who used to work for the PGA Tour. The two started out as a friends before dating. They eventually got married in 2017.
There wasn’t a lot of information or news about the two, and that was likely by design. The McIlroy family has done well to keep its personal life out of the public, and McIlroy has noted how he and Erica strive to keep things lowkey.
That changed in 2024, though. Prior to the PGA Championship, McIlroy filed for divorce, based on a feeling the marriage was irretrievably broken. A month later, though, McIlroy announced they changed their minds.
“Over the past weeks, Erica and I have realized that our best future was as a family together,” he said in a statement. “Thankfully, we have resolved our differences and look forward to a new beginning.”
4. Poppy McIlroy changed Rory’s life, career
Poppy McIlroy, the couple’s only child, was born on Aug. 31, 2020, in Jupiter, Fla. She has unsurprisingly changed McIlroy’s life for the better. While the family prioritizes privacy, McIlroy has been open about how having a daughter has improved his life and outlook on the occasionally maddening sport he plays for a living.
“(My career) matters to me, and I care about it very much, but at the same time, it makes the hard days a little easier to get over,” McIlroy said in 2025.
Poppy also looks like she might be primed to go into the family business.
5. New beginning for the McIlroy family
While McIlroy still plays the majority of his professional golf in America, he, Erica and Poppy now have a new home base. The McIlroy family decided to move across the pond, leaving Florida for a brand-new home in the United Kingdom in 2025. McIlroy believes the ability to physically disconnect has helped his game.
“There’s a detachment from the sort of week-in, week-out grind when you get back over (to the UK),” he said ahead of the 2025 Open Championship. “You play PGA Tour golf for the first 25, 30 weeks of the year, and you need to completely get away from it — because this world of golf can become all-encompassing.”
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