Erica Stoll theory emerges after Rory McIlroy’s spectacular US Open collapse

Colin Montgomerie reckons Rory McIlroy’s on-off divorce with wife Erica Stoll may have contributed to his US Open collapse. McIlroy, 35, announced he would be taking a brief hiatus from golf after his hopes of winning a first major in 10 years were ended in the cruellest of ways. 

As he was on the brink of winning the US Open last weekend, McIlroy missed two putts to give Bryson DeChambeau the opportunity to snatch the slam from under his nose. The visibly heartbroken McIlroy departed Pinehurst before the trophy presentation had even been made.

A matter of days before the tournament, McIlroy revealed that he and Stoll had reconciled and were trying to patch up their marriage. Considering his late disaster show was so soon after that statement, Montgomerie, who is a five-time major runner-up and a former Ryder Cup captain, believes that would have been playing on the Northern Irishman’s mind.

“It’s bad enough going through a divorce,” Montgomerie said on The Sports Agents podcast. “It’s damn near impossible to concentrate on one particular item, which is trying to get round a golf course of extreme difficulty. 

“This isn’t a course with birdies galore. This is a course which is a demanding emotional rollercoaster going up and down. It’s an incredible golf course to play on but it’s so tough to mentally get through.

“Yes, he was divorced one week and then they were trying to patch it up next week, very publicly. The 10 years of hurt and the scarring that’s been going on in Rory’s life for the last 10 years to try and win a major, there’s a huge distraction coming up with two ahead with five to go, this was his best opportunity within those 10 years to win this.”

While Montgomerie has his suspicions about why he believed McIlroy collapsed, a statistic which emerged after the US Open suggests the 60-year-old may have a point. He added: “I felt it all came out, not just on hole 18 but on hole 16 when that was a very short putt, when that was two and a half feet.

“There was a statistic that came up which said he had holed 490 odd in a row and that he hadn’t missed under three foot this season. Then of course there is the two and a half footer misses. You’ve got to put that down to- that’s not coincidence. You have to put that down to what’s happening in his head.” 

Confirming his break from the course, McIlroy took to social media and explained: “I’m going to take a few weeks away from the game to process everything and build myself back up for my defence of the Genesis Scottish Open and The Open at Royal Troon. See you in Scotland.”