Rory McIlroy incredible highlights field for RBC Canadian Open ten days after shock divorce with Erica Stoll… as Scottie Scheffler skips the competition
Rory McIlroy highlights the field for the 2024 RBC Canadian Open at Hamilton Golf & Country Club in Hamilton, Ontario, from May 30 to June 2.
However, the world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler’s name appears absent from the roster as the PGA Tour heads north of the border.
The pair both made headlines around the PGA Championship in Kentucky for reasons unrelated to the sport.
Three days before the championship teed off at Valhalla, McIlroy shocked the fanbase by filing for divorce from his wife of seven years, Erica Stoll.
After making their relationship public in 2014, McIlroy and Stoll were engaged in December of the following year and married in April 2017. The pair had their daughter, Poppy Kennedy, on August 31, 2020.
An inside source later told US Weekly that ‘Erica was lonely in their marriage’ while another told People that the Northern Irishman has been ‘trying to find himself and get back to winning’ after the split.
On the other hand, Scheffler made headlines on May 17 when he was arrested in Louisville and charged with second-degree assault, third-degree criminal mischief, reckless driving, and disregarding traffic signals from an officer.
The arrest happened early in the morning as he tried to get inside Valhalla to make his tee time. Nevertheless, he was released hours later and walked into a roaring ovation at the course for his second round.
‘This morning, I was proceeding as directed by police officers,’ Scheffler wrote of the arrest. ‘It was a very chaotic situation, understandably so considering the tragic accident that had occurred earlier, and there was a big misunderstanding of what I thought I was being asked to do.
‘I never intended to disregard any of the instructions. I’m hopeful to put this to the side and focus on golf today.’
Scheffler finished the tournament in a four-way tie for eighth place. Meanwhile, McIlroy and five others tied at 12th behind them.
Whether or not Scheffler’s absence from the Canadian Open relates to the arrest remains a question.
As for McIlroy, he looks to add a third Canadian Open title to his resume. He won his first in 2019 and claimed his second title up north in 2022.
