Ex-US Open finalist was engaged to Rory McIlroy before he called things off by phone
Former US Open finalist Caroline Wozniacki was engaged to Rory McIlroy but he called off their wedding over the phone, later marrying Erica Stoll.
Rory McIlroy cancelled his wedding to former US Open finalist Caroline Wozniacki just days after sending out invitations. McIlroy had been in a relationship with the Danish tennis star for three years before brutally ending things via a phonecall in 2014.
The golfer, who is currently tied for third at the Irish Open, had popped the question to Wozniacki on New Year’s Eve in 2013. The duo were regarded as a sporting power couple, with McIlroy’s golfing triumphs matched by future Australian Open champion Wozniacki, who also made it to the 2009 and 2014 US Open finals. Yet as their big day got closer, McIlroy realised he wasn’t ready to marry Wozniacki. The Times reported that McIlroy had ended their engagement during a brief three-minute conversation, with the golfer later explaining what had triggered his abrupt change of mind.
“There is no right way to end a relationship that has been so important to two people,” McIlroy said in May 2014, as per the Daily Mail. “The problem is mine.
“The wedding invitations issued at the weekend made me realise that I wasn’t ready for all that marriage entails. I wish Caroline all the happiness she deserves and thank her for the great times we’ve had. I will not be saying anything more about our relationship in any setting.
Ahead of facing Williams in the 2014 US Open final, Wozniacki gave her version of events: “I was shocked. I thought at least it would be face to face or something but there was nothing. It was a phone call and I didn’t hear from him again,” she told the In Depth with Graham Bensinger show.
“It was very hard because he made it very public from the start. He put out a press release and all of that so it just got put in my face.”
In 2015, McIlroy started dating Erica Stoll, a PGA employee he had met during the 2012 Ryder Cup. The pair became engaged later that year and wed in a ceremony at Ashford Castle in County Mayo in 2017. They welcomed their daughter Poppy in 2020.
