Rory McIlroy reportedly just spent between ‘£10m and £14m on plans for a new home at Wentworth with his family’, prior to him filing for divorce with his wife Erica Stoll earlier this week.
McIlroy, 35, filed for a shock divorce with his wife on Monday just three days before the start of the US PGA Championship at Valhalla.
Rory McIlroy and Erica Stoll share a young daughter, Poppy, who was born in 2020.
According to a report in The Sun, the World No.2 was last seen in good spirits with wife Erica at The Players Championship in March.
But there were no signs of Erica or Poppy alongside Rory at The Masters last month.
A source has reportedly informed The Sun how news of McIlroy’s divorce has been a ‘complete bombshell’ to his pals.
This is after McIlroy allegedly bought a plot of land on the Wentworth Estate in Surrey, England.
McIlroy, who resides in resides in Florida, United States, is believed to also own a home in London as well as in his childhood town of Holywood, Northern Ireland.
News of McIlroy’s latest plans to move to England – and specifically to Wentworth Estate – was confirmed by a source to The Sun this week.
“Rory could easily have seen the family’s future at Wentworth and in London — at least up until recently,” an anonymous person told the publication.
“He had spent between £10m and £14m on plans for the home at Wentworth, which he was having built to their specifications.
“Friends of his like the golfers Justin Rose and Ernie Els are based there and it is the home of European golf.
“That’s partly why the news of his divorce was a complete bombshell to people who know Rory.
“Anyone who saw him with Erica at the Players Championship in March would have thought everything was hunky dory — but clearly that was not the case. That is why people have been so blindsided by this.”
It now remains to be seen whether McIlroy continues with plans to move to England, or whether he remains in the United States.
McIlroy ‘filed for divorce’ on Monday.
McIlroy filed his divorce papers with Palm Beach Country Court in Florida on Monday this week.
It recently came to light that Rory and Erica signed a pre-nuptial agreement in March 2017, a month before they got married.
They also agreed to ‘share personal responsibility’ for their daughter Poppy, who was born in Florida.
While an official reason for the split is unknown, McIlroy’s team that confirmed his marriage was ‘irretrievably broken’.
McIlroy’s team have asked all journalists to refrain from asking him any ‘personal’ questions during this week’s US PGA Championship.
However, that has not prevented a couple of journalists from pushing their luck with McIlroy in the media centre at Valhalla.
McIlroy shut down an unruly personal question in his Wednesday press conference, and he then stared down a reporter who tried to eke out a bit more information from him after his first round.
Rory McIlroy
McIlroy lines up at Valhalla this week off the back of consecutive wins on the PGA Tour.
He opened with a solid 5-under 66 in the first round of the US PGA Championship as he bids to land his first major title in nearly 10 years.
The omens look good for him having etched his name on the Wanamaker Trophy at this week’s venue back in 2014.
