The chaos that Rory McIlroy and his wife, Erica Stoll, dealt with last year has seemingly stayed in the past.
The couple and their 4-year-old daughter, Poppy, posed in front of water at the Masters Par 3 Contest on Wednesday, with McIlroy, gripping a club with his left hand, and Stoll surrounding Poppy on either side.
McIlroy filed for divorce from Stoll in May — the filing stated that their marriage, which began in April 2017, was “irretrievably broken” — but filed a notice of voluntary dismissal just one month later, with McIlroy telling the Guardian at the time that “Erica and I have realized that our best future was as a family together” and adding that the pair resolved their differences.
Stoll walked the course at the Genesis Scottish Open in July, and last month, after McIlroy won his second Players Championship title in a three-hole playoff, he shared a kiss with his wife while Poppy handed him a flower.
Rory McIlroy kisses his wife, Erica Stoll, during the Masters Par 3 Contest on April 9.Getty Images
Erica Stoll, Poppy McIlroy and Rory McIlroy are pictured during the Masters Par 3 Contest on April 9.Getty Images
That allowed him to carry some momentum in the Masters — the one major he still needs to win to complete a career Grand Slam — as he attempts to snap a major drought that has dragged on since 2014.
McIlroy will form a group with Ludvig Åberg and Akshay Bhatia during the opening two rounds of the tournament on Thursday and Friday, but on Wednesday, he spent time on the course with Stoll and Poppy.
And on the ninth hole, Poppy lightly hit a ball that kept slowly rolling — and rolling and rolling — all the way to the hole, where it settled into the cup as everyone roared.
“I think every Masters week for me seems to get bigger and bigger each and every year and I think to do something like this, for me at least, allows me to forget about all that for a couple of hours on a Wednesday afternoon,” Rory McIlroy told ESPN on Wednesday, according to USA Today. “It’s just a really nice way and a relaxed way to go into business [at the] end of the week.
Rory McIlroy celebrates with his daughter, Poppy, during the Masters Par 3 Contest on April 9.Getty Images
Erica Stoll and Rory McIlroy are pictured with their daughter, Poppy, during the Masters Par 3 Contest on April 9.Getty Images
“As time has gone along and Poppy has gotten a little bit bigger, I look forward to this day more and more each and every year. Just to see the excitement on her face this morning knowing it was going to be Par 3 (is great).
“It is such a fun afternoon.”