Rory McIlroy is on the verge of securing back-to-back Masters wins. The 36-year-old was at 13 under and holds a two-shot lead over Scottie Scheffler and Justin Rose with two holes left to play. However, more than his skill on the course, it was the Northern Irishman’s family and dog headcover that became the talk amongst spectators and fans. All of it has a very close connection to McIlroy, who recently spoke about his wife Erica Stoll and daughter Poppy playing a central role in his journey at Augusta National.
Rory McIlroy credits his family
After years of near-misses at Augusta, McIlroy appeared more grounded, crediting fatherhood and family life for reshaping his mindset both on and off the course. Reflecting on his daughter during a recent press conference, he said, “I think Poppy, like she’s a mini Erica.”
“It’s like living with two of them, which is great a lot of the time. She is the most unbelievably polite and respectful and well-behaved little girl, and I really love that she started to get into the game a lot more, and it all stemmed from the putt last year at the Par 3.”
“So she made sure that I brought her putter up this year so she could hit the putt with her putter and not mine. Yeah, that’s been amazing to, and as well, just to see her grow up to have her travel the world to see different places, to give her a life that I could only dream about when I was that age, that’s been the coolest thing.”
Poppy has quickly become a fan favorite at the Masters Par 3 Tournament, especially after her viral moment in 2025. Ahead of this year’s event, McIlroy revealed she insisted on using her own putter.
“I honestly just don’t like the three tournaments leading up to this event,” McIlroy told reporters on April 10. “I’d rather come up here.
“I did a couple of days where I dropped Poppy to school, flew up here, played, landed back home and had dinner with her, or had dinner with Erica probably. Like I did a couple of day trips like that where I felt it was a better use of my time than going to Houston or San Antonio. It wasn’t really about conserving energy, but just I felt the more time I could spend up here, the better.”
Rory McIlroy, Erica Stoll’s divorce talks
McIlroy and his wife, Erica Stoll’s relationship went through a turbulent period in 2024 when the star golfer was rumored to be heading toward divorce before reconciling.
“Being a dad, it makes the losses a lot easier. It makes the wins even more special to be able to share that with Erica and Poppy,” McIlroy noted in December 2025. “My family, they’ve watched me go through all of this like I’m sure a lot of the public has. I feel like everyone’s been on this journey with me.”
The story behind Rory McIlroy’s dog headcover
Away from family life, McIlroy’s personality still shows through in small details, like the iconic St. Bernard dog headcover on his driver.
“So I’ve had this headcover since I was 14 years old,” McIlroy told his club sponsor.
“I’ve always loved dogs, I had a couple of dogs growing up and I’m just a big dog person.
“This guy has done a lot of air miles, we’ve probably been around the world together 100 times so he’s seen a lot of cool things.”
