Rory McIlroy and sports reporter Amanda Balionis are not dating and only have a professional relationship, Us Weekly can confirm.
After McIlroy, 35, filed for divorce from wife Erica Stoll, rumors swirled that he had moved on with Balionis, 38. Neither the pro golfer nor Balionis have publicly addressed the speculation. (The CBS Sports journalist married football coach Bryn Renner in 2022 but it is unclear if they have separated.)
Balionis has covered golf for years, recently interviewing McIlroy on May 12 after he won the Wells Fargo Championship.
“This was just another great day to add to all the rest of them,” McIlroy gushed to Balionis of his win. “I feel like these people have watched me grow up from winning here [at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte] as a 20-year-old to being the ripe old age of 35 now. They’ve sort of seen my progression through my career and I’ve been lucky enough to win here four times.”
Days after his Wells Fargo Championship win, McIlroy filed for divorce from Stoll, 36, following seven years of marriage. He claimed in his petition that their relationship was “irretrievably broken.” McIlroy and Stoll, who share 3-year-old daughter Poppy, also have a prenup in place.
McIlroy has since broken his silence on his court filing.
“Rory McIlroy’s communications team confirmed today that a divorce has been filed,” his rep told the Irish Star on May 14. “They stressed Rory’s desire to ensure this difficult time is as respectful and amicable as possible. He will not be making any further comment.”
A source later told Us that Stoll had been “lonely in their marriage.”
“Rory was a hard person to be married to,” the insider claimed to Us. “[Erica] knew what she was getting into with his profession, but once they had Poppy, things really changed and she had a new perspective. Erica was usually absent for most of his tournaments and was really focused on Poppy.”
McIlroy has continued competing on the PGA Tour throughout the month at both the PGA Championship and Charles Schwab Challenge, finishing at T12 and T32, respectively. He is next set to tee off at the Canadian Open on Thursday, May 30, at the Hamilton Golf and Country Club in Ontario. The 2019 Canadian Open was McIlroy’s pro tournament debut — and he won at the time.
“It’s important to keep coming back, and to play in front of crowds like this is amazing, and it’s always a pleasure to come back up here,” he told reporters during a Wednesday, May 29, pre-tournament press conference.
The Canadian Open runs through Sunday, June 2.
With reporting by Travis Cronin
