Pictured
PARFECT PAD
RORY MCILROY has come a long way from his modest childhood home in Belfast.
The PGA Tour star, 35, owns a massive 12,800-square-foot Florida mansion bought for £7.6million from legendary PGA star Ernie Els - and he still shares it with wife Erica Stoll despite their recent bombshell announcement about their divorce.
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McIlroy moved into the golfing capital of the world - Jupiter, in Florida - after selling his old mansion for around £9million.
He bought his new pad in The Bear's Club, a golf development which was founded by Jack Nicklaus in 1999 and is 85 miles north of Miami.
And the luxury property was in well-known hands before McIlroy moved in, having been previously owned by Els.
The incredible neighbourhood has been home to basketball legend Michael Jordan, tennis royalty in Serena and Venus Williams, plus fellow golfers Luke Donald, Michelle Wie and Els.
EL OF A PAD
And somehow McIlroy managed to end up with even more bathrooms.
The massive property stretches over 12,800 square feet and boasts seven bedrooms and TEN bathrooms.
A huge balcony at the back of the property overlooks a tranquil swimming pool.
Inside, McIlroy has everything a young multi-millionaire could wish for, with a recording studio, games room, gigantic pool and a home cinema.
But it's a long way from where he grew up.
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FAMILY HOME
Parents Gerry and Rosie raised McIlroy in the family's four-bedroom house in Holywood, Northern Ireland.
It was adapted by Gerry into what would be a young aspiring golfer's dream.
A trampoline could be found in the garden but it was tucked behind a giant practice putting green.
Step into the garage and McIlroy, the 2014 Open champion, had his very own golf simulator.
Father Gerry had transformed the space into a studio where a young curly-haired McIlroy could study his swing and ball-striking with two TVs wired up to the system.
And, when he wanted to put that into practice, Holywood Golf was just a 20-minute walk from the house.
FIRST-TIME BUYER
When McIlroy moved out the family home, it wasn't your typical property for a first-time buyer.
McIlroy bought Robinhall House in Moneyreagh, County Down, which is now worth around £3m.
Now there was no need for a golf simulator as McIlroy had his own driving range, putting green and massive practice area complete with seven bunkers on the 14-acre property.
For down time, there was a cinema, outdoor hot tub, lake with 1,200 trout and full-size tennis court where he could play with then girlfriend and former world No1 Caroline Wozniacki.
McIlroy sold the estate in 2013 for around £2.5m as he jetted off to America.
AMERICAN DREAM
McIlroy's move Stateside saw the four-time major winner treat himself to a stunning Florida mansion.
The pad in Palm Beach Gardens came with six bedrooms, a gym, outdoor swimming pool and, of course, a putting green.
A sprawling lounge area led on to a relaxing patio with sofas that are nestled by the pool.
The mansion was designed so the water met with the side of the house, and ran along to a water feature.
Among the NINE bathrooms is the en suite for the master bedroom which boasts a whirlpool in the centre of the room.
A private gym came with a full weights section, bike, treadmill and huge television screen on a wall-length mirror.
McIlroy could unwind in a games room, complete with a pool table, which had massive sliding doors onto the pool area.
However, he clearly fancied a change of scenery and moved into Els' old pad instead.
SHOCK DIVORCE
But now McIlroy has to share his state-of-the-art pad with soon to be ex-wife Stoll after filing the divorce papers on Monday, just three days before the start of the PGA Championship.
The golfer's reps announced his desire to ensure the process is "as respectful and amicable as possible".
According to The Mail, court documents state their marriage was "irretrievably broken".
Inside Rory McIlroy’s whirlwind love life
By Ciaran Wiseman
Rory McIlroy enjoyed a high-profile romance with former tennis world number one Caroline Wozniacki before their split in 2014.
The following year, the golf ace began dating Erica Stoll, who he had first met on the PGA Tour in 2011.
Erica often interacted with players through her role as the PGA’s manager of championship volunteer operations.
She even prevented McIlroy from missing his tee time at the 2012 Ryder Cup after some confusion over the time zone.
The incident began a firm friendship between the pair, four years before their relationship turned romantic.
McIlroy and Erica were spotted on a string of dates in Rochester, New York, in the early days of their relationship.
Just eight months later, the couple got engaged in Paris and walked down the aisle at Ashford Castle in Ireland in 2017.
The pair then welcomed daughter Poppy into the world three years later.
Throughout their time together, McIlroy and Erica have kept their relationship to themselves, with the golfer keen to protect his family from the cameras during filming of Netflix’s Full Swing documentary series.
However, after seven years of marriage, McIlroy has now filed for divorce from Erica.
The reasons for the divorce have not been disclosed, but the Northern Irishman has submitted documents to a court in Florida.
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