Rory McIlroy’s head is in the game when he is on the golf course, and fans welcome his attendance at the BMW Championship in St. Louis, but the tournament also takes him away from his family, and he recently missed out on an important milestone for his beloved daughter, Poppy.
Golf Icon Rory McIlroy Gives Glimpse Into His Private Life
GettyIn an interview with reporters on Wednesday, August 19, McIlroy revealed it was Poppy’s first day of school. “I would have loved to have been home for that, but I’m here, so it’s just stuff like that, things I didn’t have 10 years ago that I have these days,” he said, People reports. “I am in a different spot in my life.”
The pro also revealed that he was “trying to find that balance and then trying to be home enough.” McIlroy shares Poppy with his wife, Erica Stoll.
He continued to elaborate on the balance he is wanting to achieve and how his priorities are shifting. “As the years go on, you try to, you know, life happens, and things that you didn’t have in your mid-20s you have in your mid-30s that you prioritize over golf, right,” he said. “Prioritize things with your family or things that you don’t want to miss. That’s the stage of life where I’m at. Where, you know, not all my eggs are in the golf basket.”
In the interview, he revealed he would be playing “five of the next six weeks,” but he also discussed how his commitments will change from year to year. “Some years I’ll maybe play more, some years I’ll maybe play where it’s a little bit lighter. But it’s just that balance of making sure that you play enough to stay sharp, but then also I guess having balance in your life that you feel like you’re not missing out on other things that you want to do.”
Rory McIlroy Discusses His Love for Daughter Poppy
GettyFans love to see Poppy, who regularly attends McIlroy’s tournaments and is very invested in the game. When he won the 2026 Masters, he said, “This has definitely turned into Poppy’s favorite week of the year,” People reports. “I don’t know if it’s because of the Par 3 tournament or it’s all you can eat ice cream in the player services building.”
McIlroy also discussed his greatest joy aside from golf in an interview during the Masters. His reply was touching. “I’d say watching my daughter grow up,” he said, USA Today reports. “I think, you know, Poppy is, like, she’s a mini Erica, so, like … It’s like living with two of them, which is great a lot of the time. But she is the most unbelievably polite and respectful and well-behaved little girl.”
He continued, “I’ve really loved that she started to get into the game a lot more, and it all stemmed from the putt last year at the par three. So she made sure that I brought her putter up this year so that she could hit the putt with her putter and not mine. But yeah, so that’s been, that’s been amazing.”
McIlroy also discussed the advantages of letting Poppy travel so much at such a young age and experience so much of the world.
