Rory McIlroy to become a dad “in a matter of days”

Rory McIlroy has struggled somewhat for form and focus since golf returned from its COVID-19 hiatus – and this might partly explain why.

The four-time major winner’s wife Erica is pregnant with the couple’s first child – and is due to give birth any day. 

The news was revealed during the television broadcast of the third round of the BMW Championship, where McIlroy is in contention. 

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The Golf Channel’s Steve Sands revealed that a baby girl is due “any day now”, with Erica in good health and resting up at home. 

After completing his round, McIlroy confirmed the news.

“We’re about to be parents very soon, so we’re obviously super excited,” he said. “We’ve been sharing the news with friends and family, obviously, but I didn’t think it was something that I really particularly needed to share out here. It’s a private matter, but we’re really excited and can’t wait for her to get here.”

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McIlroy added that he is currently “just waiting for a phone call”.

“I was waiting for a phone call last week and it didn’t come, and then Harry [Diamond, his caddie] has been keeping his phone in his pocket just to make sure, but nothing as of yet.”

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Naturally, if the little one does put in an appearance in the run-up to next week’s Tour Championship, McIlroy added that he will gladly pass on playing at East Lake.

“I’m going to play in many more Tour Championships and it’s only going to be the birth of your first child once,” he said. “That trumps anything else.”

McIlroy married American Erica at Ashworth Castle, one of Ireland’s leading hotels, in April 2017. 

Erica, originally from New York, was the PGA Tour employee who famously helped rescue the situation when McIlroy overslept and almost missed his tee time on the final day of the 2012 Ryder Cup.

The news of the imminent birth of the couple’s first child will come as a surprise given that it was not public knowledge that they were expecting. 

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That, though, is the way the McIlroys appear to like it.

Talking to The Independent about Erica shortly before their wedding, McIlroy said: “We have really just tried to keep it low key. She is a very low key person, not the kind to broadcast stuff.”

Here’s wishing them all the very best.