Rory McIlroy Subtly Made A Move Right Out Of Tiger Woods' Divorce Playbook

It looks like Rory McIlroy was telling the truth when he insisted that there's no bad blood between him and fellow top golfer Tiger Woods. Woods and McIlroy reportedly had beef from Woods purportedly barring him from returning to the player-director board in the PGA, but the Northern Ireland native noted that "there's no strain" in their bromance at all. He's even channeling his inner Tiger, borrowing legal moves from Woods for his own divorce proceedings from his soon-to-be ex-wife Erica Stoll after seven years of marriage.

Rory made the move to file for divorce in May 2024, right before he tees off at the PGA Championship. Details for the split remain confidential, but the court filing noted that the soon-to-be former couple would be enforcing their prenup, whose details are also undisclosed, and that their marriage is "irretrievably broken," according to The New York Post. Meanwhile, McIlroy's manager, Sean O'Flaherty, noted in a statement that the golfer hopes that their separation would be as conflict-free as possible. "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," the statement read, according to AP News.

In pursuit of a smooth process, McIlroy has reportedly enlisted the help of Woods' legal team to jump in and take charge. And apparently, this attorney is no stranger to taking on high-profile divorce cases.

What do Tiger Woods, Joe Jonas, Gisele Bündchen, and now Rory McIlroy all have in common? Besides the fact that they have millions in the bank, they all hired the same lawyer to manage their respective divorces from their former spouses. They've all tapped Thomas Sasser, a managing partner at Sasser, Cestero & Roy, P.A., a law firm based in West Palm Beach, Florida, where McIlroy and Erica Stoll reside, along with their daughter, Poppy.

Sasser is reportedly the man responsible for helping all these famous folks navigate their divorces with as little media fallout as possible. Woods was probably an exception, considering his cheating scandals played out in the public eye, but Bündchen notably had a quick and painless divorce from Tom Brady. Apparently, the reason why Sasser has been highly sought out is because he's as discreet as it gets, always making an effort to dodge the press.

"One of the reasons he gets those high-profile divorces is the exact reason you had to call me to learn about him," his fellow lawyer John Schutz shared with Palm Beach Post. "He won't give the press a quote; he doesn't talk about his clients, and he doesn't talk about his cases." And when it comes to his legal strategy, Sasser is apparently adamant about not letting things go to trial unless it absolutely has to. This was clearly seen in NASCAR driver Jeff Gordon's divorce from his ex-wife, Brooke, which, despite the stakes, ended with both parties reportedly content with the settlement. With McIlroy's reputation in sports, his choice of attorney is perfectly on par.

As it turns out, Rory McIlroy and Erica Stoll's divorce caught everyone off guard. The couple's Florida community is reeling from the news, with a source telling People it was a total surprise as they missed any red flags. "Rory is fairly down to earth for such a big star. However, he is very private and can be nice to be around but he just does NOT love the limelight," an insider said. Another source dished that the lack of rumors left everyone assuming that everything was fine and dandy. "We are wondering what happened," they said.

Meanwhile, another insider shared with Us Weekly that the split stemmed from McIlroy and Stoll growing apart. "A point of contention in Rory's marriage with Erica was that Erica was lonely in their marriage. Rory was a hard person to be married to," they divulged, noting that the birth of their child shifted their priorities significantly. "She knew what she was getting into with his profession, but once they had Poppy, things really changed and she had a new perspective," the source added. "Erica was usually absent for most of his tournaments and was really focused on Poppy." With McIlroy constantly traveling, Stoll apparently reached a "breaking point." McIlroy may have been the no. 1 golfer, but it does look like he's not the no. 1 lover by any degree.