Rory McIlroy’s former agent claims ‘messy lifestyle’ is major sticking point in Erica Stoll’s divorce
Rory McIlroy could miss the British Open, just a month after his fall at the U.S. Open shortly after annulling his divorce from Erica Stoll.
Rory McIlroy’s former agent Andrew “Chubby” Chandler believes the four-time world champion’s “messy” life away from golf is hurting his chances of ending his drought.
McIlroy struggled on Thursday, shooting a dismal 78 to end his hopes of winning his first major in a decade. The dismal outing comes after the Northern Irishman collapsed at the U.S. Open having arrived at Pinehurst No. 2 shrouded with uncertainty in his marriage.
On the eve of the US Open, McIlroy and wife Erica Stoll called off their divorce. It was a drastic change of events for the 35-year-old’s personal life, given that the relationship with his wife seemed beyond repair after he filed for divorce just a month before.
Less than 24 hours after winning the Wells Fargo Championship on May 12, McIlroy filed for divorce after claiming his marriage to Stoll was “irretrievably broken.” But the development means the pair moved on and attempted to leave their troubles behind them.
But at Royal Troon, McIlroy is in serious danger of missing the cut. McIlroy bowled seven overs and continued to stumble on Friday, leading his former agent to question how McIlroy’s problems could be caused by off-course issues.
“Obviously the better players play better more often and the better players take their chances,” Chandler told talkSPORT. “That’s all that happened with Rory. Rory played fantastically for ten years, he simply takes no risk. “Looking at it from the outside, I haven’t seen Rory in a few years, but I think her life is a mess. You know what it’s like to be an athlete, you have to be totally focused and concentrated on what you’re doing,” he said. “But it looks like Rory spent a year and a half battling LIV on the PGA Tour, then the PGA Tour pulled the rug out from under him, then he started talking about how LIV wasn’t that bad, then he had marriage problems , and then he got so much media attention because he hadn’t won a major in ten years. So he just can’t get away from it. I think his life is just so messed up.”
With fans believing McIlroy’s decade-long deep drought would end at the U.S. Open, McIlroy led by two strokes with five holes to go. But the 35-year-old agonizingly missed two short putts for three straight bogeys, opening the door for Bryson DeChambeau to hit a magical moment at 18 and win the tournament. After DeChambeau won, a dejected McIlroy quickly left Pinehurst in second place and struggled to come to terms with his collapse. He has missed several tournaments to spend time with his family and is going through a tumultuous period in his personal life.