Rochester is proud of its Rochester connection, and the No. Rory McIlroy is the world’s No. 3 golfer and will be playing at Oak Hill in 2023 for the PGA Championship.
The Northern Ireland native first visited the club in summer 2013 when the Pittsford Club hosted the last PGA tournament.
McIlroy’s return to the city in April 2015 was not about golf.
McIlroy, who had split with tennis star Caroline Wozniacki at the time, was rumored then to be dating Erica Stoll. Stoll is a 2003 Irondequoit High School grad and worked for the PGA as manager of championship volunteer operation.
They were both greeted with stares when they dined at 2Vine in Rochester’s East End (now REDD), and then at Magpie Irish Pub, on Park Avenue.
Eight months later, they got engaged in Paris. And on April 22, 2017, they married at Ashford Castle, a medieval fortress-turned-five-star resort on Ireland’s west coast. E! According to E!
The couple welcomed daughter Poppy Kennedy MacIlroy at Jupiter Medical Center, Jupiter, Florida, on August 31, 2020.
Rory McIlroy with his daughter Poppy, wife Erica, and the Wells Fargo Championship trophy in 2021. (Photo: Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports)
McIlroy was trying to be discreet during the 2015 Rochester trip. As he and Stoll left 2Vine “everyone in the restaurant shouted, ‘Oh, my God, it’s Rory McIlroy!” A hostess said to the Democrat Chronicle that the next day, “That’s Rory McIlroy!”
Stoll and McIlroy first met in 2012, when Stoll saved him from missing his Ryder Cup tee-time due to a time zone mishap. She noticed McIlroy was not at the Chicago area course and alerted officials. He required a police escort in order to get to his tee-time.
Stoll played tennis while in high school. She graduated in 2008 with a degree in marketing from Rochester Institute of Technology. In the months leading up to the Senior PGA Championship 2008 at Oak Hill, Stoll began preparing for a golf career.
In an interview in 2017, McIlroy talked about their relationship. He said he liked that it was born out of friendship, and praised Stoll’s down-to earth nature.
He said, “I feel comfortable around her.” “I love (that she) knows everything I am about, and that there was no judgement there. It was a great feeling to know that there were no judgements from the very beginning.
They keep as much of their lives private as they can. Stoll keeps out of the limelight, and her Instagram is set to private.
McIlroy had strict rules in place before he agreed to take part in Netflix’s recent golf documentary “Full Swing.”
“I made certain that the parameters were very clear. You can film me anywhere — you don’t have to come to my home, or in my car. Or even near my family. But you do want to work with me on golf tournaments? That’s totally fine,” he said to the Golf Channel.
Two days before the birth of their daughter, the couple didn’t even disclose that they were expecting.
McIlroy said to the press while playing in Olympia Fields, Illinois: “We are about to become parents very soon. We’re obviously excited.” We’ve shared the news with family and friends, but not here. We’re excited, but it’s a personal matter.
