Rory McIlroy’s celebration after winning the 2026 Masters continues to turn heads — and not in a good way.
After McIlroy, 36, held off Scottie Scheffler to win his second consecutive green jacket on Sunday, April 12, fans noticed that he needed to call over his wife, Erica Stoll, and five-year-old daughter Poppy to celebrate with him.
“Rory having to call his wife and daughter over to hug him. Tough scene,” one fan wrote via X.
Another added, “Good for Rory but he gave bigger hugs to his private equity guys he has known for 4 months than his wife and daughter. Great to see a back to back winner but out on that dude.”
Though the celebratory hugs may have appeared “lukewarm” as a third fan wrote, McIlroy thanked Stoll, 38, and Poppy during his trophy presentation speech.
“A few thank yous to the people on my left,” he said. “First and foremost my wife and daughter, Erica and Poppy, they have to put up with me at home and trust me sometimes that’s a tough thing to do. But they have been my biggest supporters.”
“This has definitely turned into Poppy’s favorite week of the year,” he continued as Poppy hid her face in embarrassment. “I don’t know if it’s because of the Par 3 tournament or it’s the all-you-can-eat ice cream in the player services building.”
McIlroy’s historic win in front of his family comes nearly two years after he and Stoll temporarily split before calling off their divorce.
“Over the past weeks, Erica and I have realized that our best future was as a family together,” McIlroy explained in a statement at the time. “Thankfully, we have resolved our differences and look forward to a new beginning.”
A source told Us Weekly while the couple was separated that Stoll “felt lonely” in their marriage.
“Rory was a hard person to be married to,” the insider claimed. “[Erica] knew what she was getting into with his profession, but once they had Poppy, things really changed and she had a new perspective. Erica was usually absent for most of his tournaments and was really focused on Poppy.”
Rumors have also surfaced about the early stages of McIlroy and Stoll’s relationship, thanks to a new biography, Rory: The Heartache and Triumph of Golf’s Most Human Superstar.
In an excerpt that circulated before its April 7 release, author Alan Shipnuck wrote that the couple met while McIlroy was dating tennis superstar Caroline Wozniacki.
“He was throwing every ounce of game he had at Erica,” a former PGA employee told Shipnuck. “It was not subtle. It became a running joke among a few of us: Has Rory closed the deal yet?”
