Rory McIlroy publicly kisses wife Erica Stoll after last-minute U-turn on divorce

Sports star Rory McIlroy and his wife Erica Stoll have shown that their marriage is stronger than ever.

Over the weekend, the golfer was spotted sharing a tender kiss with Erica just moments after his defeat at the BMW Championship in Wentworth.

© Ramsey Cardy

American-born Erica and their daughter, Poppy, were there to comfort the World No. 3, in a heartwarming moment captured by DP World Tour on X, accompanied by the caption: "Losing is hard. Family makes it easier [heart emoji]."

In the clip, the 35-year-old sports star held his daughter tightly, while a reported asked: "Have you had a good day?" Moments later, Erica stepped into the frame, and Rory embraced her in a touching display of affection. Watch the clip below…

The united front comes just weeks after Rory made a dramatic U-turn on his decision to divorce Erica . In June, the Irish golfer's attorney, Thomas Sasser, filed a Notice of Voluntary Dismissal at the Palm Beach County Courthouse, officially withdrawing the divorce proceedings.

This surprising turn of events comes just weeks after Erica was served papers at the couple's marital home in Jupiter, Florida, informing her that Rory wanted to end their marriage.

The 13 May petition gave Erica 20 days to file a counterclaim or risk having the court grant the divorce by default. However, Erica did not file any response or even appoint an attorney by the 2 June deadline.

© getty

"Petitioner Rory D. McIlroy, by and through the undersigned counsel, hereby voluntarily dismisses, without prejudice, the above-styled matter," the note stated. Once a court receives a Notice of Voluntary Dismissal, it considers the divorce case closed.

Rory addressed the rumours about his relationship in a statement to The Guardian , just two days ahead of the opening round of this summer's US Open.

He released a statement, which read: "There have been rumours about my personal life recently, which is unfortunate. Responding to each rumour is a fool's game.

© Andrew Redington

"Over the past weeks, Erica and I have realised that our best future was as a family together. Thankfully, we have resolved our differences and look forward to a new beginning."

The couple first met at the 2012 Ryder Cup but started dating two years later, shortly after Rory called off his engagement to tennis star Caroline Wozniacki .

Rory then popped the question to Erica in December 2015, and they tied the knot in April 2017 before welcoming their little girl, Poppy Kennedy McIlroy, in 2020.