Rory McIlroy makes strange wedding ring decision at US Open despite divorce U-turn

Rory McIlroy's public divorce saga took yet another turn Wednesday, as the world's third-ranked golfer was spotted practicing for the US Open without his wedding ring on.

The Northern Ireland star made headlines in May after filing for divorce with longtime wife Erica Stoll, citing an "irretrievably broken" marriage, but McIlroy voluntarily dismissed the case Tuesday.

"There have been rumours about my personal life recently, which is unfortunate," McIlroy said in a statement to The Guardian. "Responding to each rumour is a fool's game. 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."

On May 16, a day before his attorney initially filed for divorce, the pair were each seen without their wedding rings. McIlroy was at the PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club while Stoll was on an excursion in Jupiter, Florida.

The star golfer communicated a desire to remain as "respectful and amicable as possible" throughout the process, and McIlroy also initially sought joint-parental custody of the pair's three-year-old daughter, Poppy.

McIlroy and Stoll met through the game of golf more than a decade ago, where she worked for PGA of America and aided the Northern Irishman in making his tee time at the 2012 Ryder Cup.

Their relationship initially began as platonic, with McIlroy at that point having recently been involved in a high profile relationship tennis star Caroline Wozniacki, but by the end of 2014 he was publicly involved with Stoll.

"Erica that week was always the one that was checking us in and out. She was there at transportation, so she was always in the car park over there (by the clubhouse)," McIlroy told NBC Sports during an interview in 2019. "But yeah, it's still cool to look around and think about that week, and obviously everything that's happened since then. It's pretty cool."

The pair married along Ireland's scenic Atlantic coast in a star-studded ceremony that included guests Stevie Wonder and Jaime Dornan among others.

Since then, McIlroy and Stoll have since maintained a relatively quiet but seemingly blissful public image, with the New Yorker even applying her golf background and caddying for her husband at the 2023 Masters Par 3 contest.

This public divorce drama provides the backdrop to a massive weekend of golf for McIlroy, who is now seeking his fifth major trophy but his first in over 10 years. It's a remarkable drought for one of golf's most consistent performers, but McIlroy has expressed contentedness with his success in the past decade and believes himself to be as close as ever to an elusive major crown.

"I'm really proud of my body of work over the past 15 years and everything that I have achieved, whether it be season-long titles or individual tournaments or majors," McIlroy said. "I'm more confident than ever that I'm right there, that I'm as close as I've ever been."