Rory McIlroy was absent from the PGA Champions dinner on Tuesday night – hours after his divorce from his wife of seven years became public.
McIlroy’s communications team confirmed that the Northern Irishman had split from his wife, Erica Stoll, with the golfer himself not issuing any further comment.
And McIlroy skipped out on the PGA Champions dinner later in the day, while previous winners such as Tiger Woods, Brooks Koepka and Justin Thomas were there.
He was however seen practicing at Valhalla beforehand, and again on Wednesday.
McIlroy, a four-time major winner, has won the PGA Championship twice: in 2012 and 2014.
Rory McIlroy was nowhere to be seen at the PGA Champions dinner on Tuesday night
Rory McIlroy was seen back at Valhalla on Wednesday as he played a practice round
The Northern Irishman and Stoll tied the knot in 2017 (pictured at the 2023 Ryder Cup)
The official PGA Championship X account shared a picture of the dinner’s attendees, which also included John Daly, Phil Mickelson and Collin Morikawa.
The 2024 PGA Championship will start on Thursday, with McIlroy teeing off at 1:15pm local time.
He will play alongside Dustin Johnson and Justin Rose.
McIlroy first met Erica during the 2012 Ryder Cup , which she was working for the PGA.
The couple shares a three-year-old daughter, Poppy, who was born in 2020.
McIlroy’s communications team stressed his ‘desire to ensure this difficult time is as respectful and amicable as possible.’
Last month, McIlroy finished tied-22nd at The Masters, finishing four-over-par.
He hasn’t won a major since 2014.
