Golf superstar Rory McIlroy has dramatically scrapped plans to divorce his wife Erica, DailyMail.com can exclusively reveal. The Irishman’s attorney Thomas Sasser filed a Notice of Voluntary Dismissal on his behalf Tuesday afternoon in Palm Beach County Courthouse.
Court officials responded by closing out the case which means McIlroy, 35, will have to start from scratch if he does decide he wants a divorce. The stunning about-turn comes less than a month after Erica, 36, was served papers at the couple’s marital home in Jupiter, Florida, informing her that McIlroy wanted out of their marriage.
The May 13 petition gave Erica, the mother of McIlroy’s three-year-old daughter Poppy, 20 days to file a counterclaim or risk having the court grant the divorce by default. However, as DailyMail.com exclusively revealed, the blonde beauty failed to lodge any response or even register an attorney by the June 2 deadline. Her lack of urgency made more sense Tuesday when Sasser’s note was submitted to the court at 3:21pm on Tuesday, signed earlier in the day by McIlroy.
‘Petitioner Rory D. McIlroy, by and through the undersigned counsel, hereby voluntarily dismisses, without prejudice, the above styled matter,’ it said. Once a court receives a Notice of Voluntary Dismissal, it considers the divorce case over and closes the file. Clerks have officially designated the divorce as ‘disposed other.’
Sasser – who represented Tiger Woods in his high-profile split from Elin Nordegren in 2010 – did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com’s questions about the sudden change of heart or the couple’s relationship status. However, McIlroy addressed the speculation surrounding his relationship status in a statement to The Guardian Tuesday – two days before the opening round of the US Open. ‘There have been rumors about my personal life recently, which is unfortunate. Responding to each rumor is a fool’s game,’ McIlroy said. ‘Over the past weeks, Erica and I have realized that our best future was as a family together. Thankfully, we have resolved our differences and look forward to a new beginning.’
McIlroy was in Kentucky preparing for the PGA Championship when his divorce summons was delivered to Erica at their sprawling mansion. His petition asked for shared parental custody of their little girl and asked for a judge to enforce a prenup agreement the couple signed prior to their 2017 wedding. The paperwork handed over to her by Carl Woods, a Palm Beach cop who runs a process serving business, warned: ‘You have 20 calendar days after this summons is served on you to file a written response to the attached petition with the clerk of this circuit court.’
A phone call will not protect you. Your written response including the case number given above and the names of the parties, must be filed if you want the Court to hear your side of the case. ‘If you do not file your response on time, you may lose the case, and your wages, money and property may thereafter be taken without further warning from the court.’ The docs urged Erica to consider hiring an attorney but she didn’t ever have one assigned to her in court filings. McIlroy has been linked in recent weeks to CBS Sports reporter Amanda Balionis, 38, whom he was seen hugging after the pair did an interview at the recent RBC Canadian Open at Hamilton Golf and Country Club in Hamilton, Ontario.
Balionis is married to football coach Bryn Renner but has been spotted recently without her wedding ring, leaving golf fans wondering just how close she and McIlroy had become. The bubbly journalist also interviewed McIlroy on May 11 at the Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow, which he won by five shots – days before Erica was served with his petition. Neither addressed the speculation publicly but an unnamed source told Us Weekly they weren’t dating.
When news of his divorce first emerged, McIlory’s manager Sean O’Flaherty said in a statement: ‘Rory McIlroy’s communications team confirmed today that a divorce has been filed.’ They stressed Rory’s desire to ensure this difficult time is as respectful and amicable as possible. He will not be making any further comment.’
McIlroy, whose career earnings on the PGA Tour total nearly $87million, first met New York state native Erica during the 2012 Ryder Cup while she was working for the PGA of America. He missed his alarm but she helped him make his tee time at Medinah in Illinois by arranging a police escort.
They began dating several months after he abruptly called off his engagement with tennis star Caroline Wozniacki in 2014. Another source close to the tour, meanwhile, claimed that McIlroy had been ‘super focused on golf’ as he attempted to end his decade-long wait for another major. ‘Plus, he put his blood, sweat and tears into defending the PGA against LIV golf the last two years and it was basically for nothing,’ the source told People. ‘He’s just trying to find himself, focus and get back to winning,’ the source added.
