Rampant speculation on social media has claimed Rory McIlroy and Amanda Balionis are dating in the wake of the four-time major champion filing for divorce from his wife Erica Stoll
Rory McIlroy and Amanda Balionis are not dating, it has been claimed, in the wake of the four-time major champion’s divorce from his wife of seven years, Erica Stoll.
McIlroy, 35, filed for divorce from Stoll earlier this month, just days before teeing off at the PGA Championship, with his submission to a Florida court saying their marriage was “irretrievably broken”. Unsubstantiated rumours have swirled on social media since claiming the Northern Irishman is romantically involved with CBS Sports broadcaster Balionis.
Balionis, 38, is primarily responsible for interviewing players after their rounds, including McIlroy after his victory at the Wells Fargo Championship earlier this month. They have also worked together on McIlroy’s endorsement deal with software giant Workday, appearing side by side in social media promotional content.
Balionis, who also covers the NFL for CBS, married former quarterback Bryn Renner in 2022. But she has since stopped wearing her wedding ring and reverted back to her maiden name. The couple are yet to comment on speculation that they have separated.
However, she is not dating McIlroy, according to Us Weekly. The publication says the pair strictly have only a “professional relationship”. Neither McIlroy nor Balionis have commented on the rumours.
McIlroy’s divorce filing in Palm Beach called for a co-parenting arrangement to be reached with Stoll for shared custody of their three-year-old daughter, Poppy. The documents also confirmed that McIlroy and Stoll signed a prenuptial agreement before they tied the knot in 2017.
McIlroy’s communications team issued a statement confirming the submission of divorce papers. They stressed “Rory’s desire is to ensure this difficult time is as respectful and amicable as possible” and he will not be commenting on the situation publicly.
Us Weekly reported last week that Stoll felt “lonely in their marriage”, with McIlroy’s tour commitments across the world taking their toll. An insider close to the couple said: “Rory was a hard person to be married to. [Erica] knew what she was getting into with his profession.
“But once they had Poppy, things really changed and she had a new perspective. Erica was usually absent for most of his tournaments and was really focused on Poppy.”
McIlroy took a week off after the PGA Championship at Valhalla earlier this month and returned to action at the Canadian Open at Hamilton Golf and Country Club on Thursday. McIlroy is a two-time winner in Canada and made a strong star with a bogey-free round of four-under-par. The Ulsterman is in a tie for sixth place, four shots adrift of the early leader, 42-year-old Englishman David Skinns.
