OLYMPIA FIELDS, Ill. — Last week, after his seventh consecutive finish outside the top 10, Rory McIlroy spoke about struggling to find a spark in this new, fan-less normal. Golf didn’t seem like the most important thing in the world.
Perhaps we now know one reason why.
According to comments made by Golf Channel’s Steve Sands on the air Saturday, McIlroy’s wife, Erica, is pregnant with the couple’s first child. Per Sands, the McIlroys are expecting a baby girl “any day now.”
The couple first met during the 2012 Ryder Cup, when New York native Erica Stoll—who was then working for the PGA of America—helped Rory make his tee time for a Sunday singles match after he overslept. They began officially dating in 2015 and were married in April 2017.
The pregnancy had not yet been made public, and it is not clear whether McIlroy, 31, will need to miss either the Tour Championship (Sept. 4-7) or the U.S. Open (Sept. 17-20).
McIlroy shared the 36-hole lead at the BMW Championship at one under par.