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Rory McIlroy called out for not saying wife’s name in Masters victory speech

Fans notice the new Masters champion forgot to mention Erica Stoll after finally winning golf’s Grand Slam.
Matt Ryan|
Rory McIlroy holds the Masters championship trophy while posing for photographs with his wife, Erica Stoll, and daughter, Poppy, at the green jacket ceremony during the final round of the Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club.
Rory McIlroy holds the Masters championship trophy while posing for photographs with his wife, Erica Stoll, and daughter, Poppy, at the green jacket ceremony during the final round of the Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club. | Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

Rory McIlroy is now a Masters champion and holds golf’s Grand Slam. He did it with his wife Erica Stoll and daughter Poppy there watching him and sharing in his epic moment. Fans did notice, however, that he left his wife’s name out of his victory speech and called him out on it.

While it looked like Sunday would be another epic collapse and disaster for the 35-year-old star golfer after a double-bogey on No. 13, and a 5-foot putt he pulled left on 18 to send it to a playoff, McIlroy dug deep and defeated Justin Rose on the first playoff hole.

RELATED: Who is Rory McIlroy’s wife Erica Stoll?

After the winning putt, the golfer was overcome by emotions and brought to tears as he ran over to give Stoll a big hug and shared a touching moment with their 4-year-old Poppy by holding her tight in his arms as he cried.

In his victory speech he mentioned his “family” as a team and had a message for Poppy about never giving up.

He didn’t mention 37-year-old Erica’s name or talk about her, however, and fans noticed.

RELATED: Rory McIlroy, wife Erica Stoll, show off marriage at Masters as daughter Poppy shines

There were several more comments like that.

Like winning the Masters and his first major since 2014 (5th overall), McIlroy’s marriage hasn’t been easy. After marrying Stoll in 2017, he filed for divorce in May of 2024, but just a month later they reconciled and rescinded it.

It was heartwarming to see her there supporting him and even sharing a kiss before the playoff.

While Rory didn’t directly mention Stoll, he did say this moment can’t be compared to life moments like a “marriage.”

Give the man a break, though, he was overcome with so many emotions and it couldn’t have been easy not to forget a lot during that speech. At the end of the day, he clearly is about his family — and his new green jacket.

Rory McIlro
Kyle Terada-Imagn Images
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Matt Ryan
MATT RYAN

Matt Ryan is a dedicated sports journalist with over 20 years of experience in digital and linear media. After receiving a Masters in Journalism from USC, he’s worked for Fox Sports, NBC Sports, Yahoo Sports, USA Today Sports Media Group, and Bally Sports, while holding various leadership roles along the way.

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