Rory McIlroy has shared the impact of moving into his new home in Wentworth after granting wife Erica Stoll her wish of moving to the leafy Surrey enclave.
The Masters champion has been enjoying a two-week break in England after finishing sixth in the Travelers Championship, and making the decision to move back across the pond at the request of his partner.
McIlroy and Stoll came close to divorce last year after announcing their separation, but reversed their decision one month later.
Stoll is said to have been particularly keen on move to England, where they have been building a new mansion in the luxury community, in a bid to leave behind the feverish temperatures of their current home in Florida.
But returning to somewhat cooler climes has been a positive for McIlroy too, as he bids to put his post-Masters dip behind him at the Scottish Open before travelling to Portrush.
‘We came back a few weeks ago and moved into our new home in Wentworth and been since trying to settle in and it’s amazing what two weeks of a bit of detachment can do for you, and sitting there being with your own thoughts for a while,’ he said, via Telegraph Sport.
Rory McIlroy is feeling better for two weeks spent at his new luxury mansion in Wentworth
The Masters champion has finally moved into his new Surrey home after buying it in 2023
The Northern Irish star broke his 11-year majors drought with a historic Masters win in Augusta
‘Yeah, it’s been nice to have this time to reflect and also to rekindle my excitement and enthusiasm for the rest of the year.
‘Obviously we have this week in Scotland and then a massive week next week (for the Open) in Portrush.’
McIlroy had previously confirmed that the builders were putting the finishing touches on his new home in May, with the Northern Irishman and his family set to move to the prestigious Wentworth Estate.
The community sits on the edge of the famous private golf club, and has become the home of a number of the game’s top golfers, celebrities, politicians, and billionaires.
The eye-catching list of former residents includes Prince Andrew and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, with Queen Elizabeth having gifted the couple a residence following their marriage.
The couple had moved in back in 1990, but the property was later sold to Kazakh billionaire Timur Kulibayev back in 2007 for £15million.
The late Russian oligarch Boris Berezovsky was a former resident, before selling his home in 2012, while the former King of Thailand Prajadhipok and Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet were among those to have owned properties.
Pinochet was famously placed under house arrest at his Wentworth residence for almost 18 months, with armed guards required to protect him and his wife as crowds supported victims over his brutal regime.
McIlroy received special permission to build a heat pump to allow for an outdoor pool
McIlroy’s wife Erica Stoll was reportedly keen to a move to England to escape the Florida heat
McIlroy reportedly purchased his sprawling estate in 2023 and was claimed to have spent up to £9million in developing the family home.
The Wentworth mansion has been described in planning documents as a ‘large, detached dwelling sited centrally within a substantive plot’.
In April, McIlroy was granted ‘very special’ permission to install a heat pump for a huge outdoor swimming pool after a heated planning battle.
He had previously been granted planning permission for a dining and utility room extension, a new roof and internal alterations, as well as an outdoor pool, play centre and 5ft-high water feature wall.
McIlroy and Stoll have been living in a £16.5m mansion in Jupiter, Florida, since buying the property from fellow golfer Ernie Els back in 2017.
The home resides on 2.4 acres of highly desired land and is believed to have 10 bathrooms in addition to the nine bedrooms across the property.
The South Florida residence boasts a luxury infinity pool, as well as a games room, tennis court, home theatre, recording studio and state-of-the-art gym. The 13,000-square-foot home also has a six-car garage.
But his first few weeks in Wentworth have been equally opulent, with McIlroy reveling in the alternate luxury of free time.
Stoll and McIlroy reversed their decision to divorce at the beginning of last year
The 36-year-old is hoping to recapture his form at the Scottish Open a week before travelling to Portrush for the final major of the year
‘There’s a detachment from the sort of week-in, week-out grind when you get back over here and Justin (Rose, another Wentworth resident) and I were talking about that,’ he continued.
‘You play PGA Tour golf for the first 25, 30 weeks of the year and you need to completely get away from it – because this world of golf can become all-encompassing.
‘In this last fortnight, I felt like I could detach and sort of hide in a way. I needed that. My game needed that.’
McIlroy, who was sporting a new haircut ahead of getting underway in North Berwick, will be looking for a necessary boost ahead of his trip back to his home country for the final major of the year.
