Golf superstar Rory McIlroy had private investigator serve wife with divorce papers
Details of a cold move from golfing superstar Rory McIlroy to his estranged wife has been revealed in court documents.
Rory McIlroy’s estranged wife Erica Stoll was served divorce papers by a private investigator while at their family home.
Stoll was at their property in the members-only development, The Bear’s Club, in Florida on May 13 when she was served, according to court documents obtained by Irish newspaper The Belfast Telegraph.
McIlroy filed for divorce from Stoll, his wife of seven years, stating the marriage was “irretrievably broken” and the documents stated the pair has a prenup, as The New York Post reports.
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Stoll was served the legal documents by Carl Woods — a former Palm Beach police officer, who now runs a private practice, CW Services & Associates, which serves the legal community — at 10.30am on May 13, according to the summons.
In it, Woods described Stoll as being white with blonde hair, in her 30s, thin and standing between 5-foot-7 (170.18cm) and 5-foot-8 (172.7cm) in height.
McIlroy signed the divorce papers digitally while he was playing in the Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hallow in North Carolina, which he went on to win, on May 9, per court records.
The 35-year-old Northern Irishman filed the papers in Palm Beach County Court through attorney Thomas Sasser, who represented Tiger Woods in his high-profile divorce with Elin Nordegren in 2010.
Stoll has 20 days to file a written response to McIlroy’s petition with the circuit court clerk from the day she was served, according to the documents.
“A phone call will not protect you,” the summons read. “Your written response, including the case number given above and the names of the parties, must be filed if you want the court to hear your side of the case.
“If you do not file your response on time, you may lose the case, and your wages, money and property may thereafter be taken without further warning from the court.
“There are other legal requirements. You may want to call an attorney right away. If you do not know an attorney, you may call an attorney referral service or a legal aid office (listed in the phone book).”
Stoll has yet to respond to McIlroy’s divorce filing as of May 26, when the report was published.
McIlroy and Stoll are seeking split custody of their daughter Poppy, now 3, whom they welcomed in August 2020, according to his divorce filing.
A week after the split was made public, a report by The Daily Mail said McIlroy and CBS reporter Amanda Balionis were “the talk of the links” on the PGA Tour and the two were stirring romance rumours.
The pair has yet to address that report.
McIlroy’s camp released a statement at the time the separation with Stoll became public that “stressed Rory’s desire to ensure this difficult time is as respectful and amicable as possible”.
His team added that he would not be commenting further on the matter.
McIlroy is set to compete at this week’s RBC Canadian Open, which runs through June 2 at Hamilton Golf and Country Club in Hamilton, Ontario.
This article originally appeared in the New York Post and was reproduced with permission
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