‘Absolute love of our lives’: A baby girl for Rory McIlroy and wife Erica
RORY McILROY’S wife Erica has given birth to the couple’s first child, the four-time Major winner has revealed.
McIlroy announced the happy news on Instagram, adding that the couple have named their daughter Poppy Kennedy McIlroy.
The little girl, who was born on Monday in Florida, ‘is the absolute love of our lives’, the proud dad told fans. Sharing a black and white photo of himself holding the newborn’s hand, the 31year-old Co. Down sportsman also thanked staff at Jupiter Medical Centre in Florida for their ‘amazing care’.
‘Poppy Kennedy McIlroy, born
August 31st, 12:15pm. She is the absolute love of our lives. Mother and baby are doing great,’ McIlroy wrote.
The golfer had said he was willing to withdraw from last week’s BMW Championship or the upcoming Tour Championship if Erica went into labour.
He is due to compete at East Lake in Atlanta today but cancelled his pre-tournament press conference yesterday.
News that the couple were expecting was only revealed during last weekend’s BMW Championship as the golfer said his daughter was due ‘any day now’ and that he was ready to pull out of the competition as soon as he got a call.
‘I didn’t think it was something that I really particularly needed to share out there. It’s a private matter, but we’re really excited and can’t wait for her to get here,’ he said.
Caddie Harry Diamond was ready to take a call and alert McIlroy if his American wife was in labour. McIlroy explained that he felt his form had been slipping, telling the Golf Channel: ‘I think from the get-go my mind has been wandering the last few weeks, and now you guys sort of know the reason why.’
He hinted that he could miss the PGA Tour’s season finale.
‘I’m going to play in many more Tour Championships and it’s only going to be the birth of your first child once. That trumps anything else,’ he said.
McIlroy met Erica in 2012 when she was working for the PGA of America, and they married at a €200,000 event at Ashworth Castle in Co. Mayo in 2017.
Speaking to the Mail after their engagement, McIlroy gushed about his then-bride-to-be, saying: ‘She is a low-key person but she brings a level of normality to everything. She has a calming presence and that’s not just on me; it is noticeable in any company.’
McIlroy famously split from exfiancée Caroline Wozniacki in 2014, just days after sending out their wedding invitations.
Speaking about calling off their engagement, he said he’d made the right decision.
Reflecting on his romance with the Danish tennis player, he told the Irish Independent: ‘I thought at the time that being with someone that was in a similar position to you was the obvious answer. But it isn’t, because you can never get away from it. You can never detach yourself and try to come back to the real world. And that’s why I feel in such a good place now.’
‘She’s the absolute love of our lives’