Rory McIlroy and wife Erica are expecting their first child, it was revealed during Saturday’s NBC broadcast of the BMW Championship.
During the third round, reporter Steve Sands said that the couple is expecting a baby girl “any day now.”
McIlroy confirmed the news after his round, admitting they’ve told folks in his inner circle, but few others. He shot a 73 on Saturday, but he’s still just three off the lead heading into the final round.
“She is, yes. We’re about to be parents very soon, so we’re obviously super excited. Yeah, 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,” McIlroy said. “It’s a private matter, but we’re really excited and can’t wait for her to get here.
“I’m just waiting for a phone call. I was waiting for a phone call last week and it didn’t come, and then Harry has been keeping his phone in his pocket just to make sure, but nothing as of yet.”
And if that call does come?
“I’m out of here,” he said. “Yeah, out of here.”
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The news first slipped out, but went unconfirmed when Seminole Golf Club head professional Bob Ford let the cat out of the bag. Ford appeared as a guest on SiriusXM PGA Tour Radio with host Taylor Zarzour back in May to discuss the Skins Game match at the club.
Zarzour noted that McIlroy, 31, had mentioned that he hadn’t touched a club for seven weeks since the Players Championship was called on March 12 due to the COVID-19 pandemic until recently, and innocently asked, “It doesn’t take that long for the rust to wear off, right?”
“Not for these guys, best in the world,” Ford said. “Rory … they are expecting a baby. She’s pregnant, and he’s been taking a little time off.”
McIlroy met his wife, a former PGA of America employee, at the 2012 Ryder Cup when he famously overslept due to the time change and needed a ride to the course. The couple became engaged in December 2015 in Paris, and married in April 2017 at Ashford Castle in Cong, County Mayo.
Rory admitted the pregnancy has weighed on him in recent weeks, and although he wouldn’t use it as an excuse, he said he’s eager to see what the future holds.
“Yeah, I think from the get-go my mind has been wandering the last few weeks, and now you guys sort of know the reason why. So yeah, it’s such a demanding golf course out there, you just have to think over every shot. You can’t have a lapse of concentration,” he said. “Yeah, it’s definitely narrowed my focus, and I’ve played a little better this week because of that.
“Not so much the first few weeks, but the last couple of weeks, when you’re sort of — you’re going out to play and maybe not knowing whether you’re going to finish the round or not. … Look, it’s definitely not an excuse. I just haven’t played well enough. But again … I keep talking about perspective. If you do play bad, I’ve got some awesome stuff coming up on the horizon, which is really cool, and it makes the bad days a lot easier to handle.”
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