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Two-time Masters champion Rory McIlroy and his wife Erica Stoll have often attempted to keep their private life private, with few photos of the pair together. Yet the couple were snapped side-by-side when they attended a White House State Dinner at the end of April. The majority of widely available pictures of the pair have featured celebrations following McIlroy's tournament victories or appearances at golf courses around the world. The most recent photograph was notably different, however, with the couple dressed for the occasion in after being invited to Washington D.C. by Donald Trump.

McIlroy and Stoll married in 2017 and their daughter Poppy was born in 2020. The golfer filed for divorce in May 2024, but the couple promptly reconciled and the filing was withdrawn the following month. The recent photograph of the couple was posted on Instagram by makeup artist Carl Ray. McIlroy took the unusual step of withdrawing from a tournament to attend the event, and addressed his absence from the Cadillac Championship, which took place at Trump National Doral in Miami.

The 37 year old discussed his decision upon arriving at Aronimink Golf Club ahead of the forthcoming PGA Championship. "I was tentatively planning to play Doral, and then I got invited to that White House State Dinner the night before on a Tuesday night, which I thought was a wonderful opportunity," McIlroy said.

"To go down to Doral and then fly up to D.C. for that and then fly back down - if I wasn't giving my 100 percent attention to the tournament, then there's no reason to play it, right? I wanted to do the State dinner, and if I was going to do that, it was probably better that I take that week to practice and prepare, come up here and see the golf course, and then go into Quail Hollow feeling more ready to play."

Even prior to his withdrawal from the Cadillac Championship, McIlroy had embarked on a quieter schedule. The Holywood-born star remains in single-figures for tournaments contested in 2026, although he returned to competition last weekend at the Truist Championship at Quail Hollow.

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The Northern Irish star is a four-time winner at Quail Hollow, with his latest success arriving in 2024. He finished tied for 19th in the most recent edition, however, with Norway's Kristoffer Reitan emerging victorious to secure his maiden PGA Tour triumph.

McIlroy anticipates his form around the greens will hold the key at Aronimink, which last staged the PGA Championship in 1962. "Strategy off the tee is pretty non-existent. It's, basically, bash driver down there and then figure it out from there," he said.

"The greens are the main focus this week, and I think getting yourself in the right sections of the greens, making sure you leave yourself below the hole for the most part - that's the key this week."