He has filed for divorce. She ditched her wedding ring and gave up her married name. Chance? Well, maybe not.
DailyMail.com can reveal that Rory McIlroy’s relationship with CBS’s 19th Hole reporter Amanda Balionis is the talk of the town and has left many fans wondering just how close the pair have become.
Last week it was up to the blonde Balionis to interview the 35-year-old champion after he won the Wells Fargo Championship in Quail Hollow, North Carolina on Mother’s Day.
It was a performance that only fanned the flames.
Dressed in a blush top that matched McIlroy’s, Balionis giggled, flirted and fangirled her way through the interview.
The chemistry between Rory McIlroy and CBS reporter Amanda Balionis has sparked rumors of a romance between the two
“What equipment did you have to find to reassert your dominance over Quail Hollow?” the 34-year-old asked, looking through her eyelashes as McIlroy beamed at her.
They stood close. She teased details of his winning streak.
She later asked him to tell her, “Physically how good your game feels,” and fans could be forgiven for wondering what “game” the blushing reporter was referring to.
Just 24 hours later, news broke that McIlroy had filed for divorce from wife of seven years Erica Stoll, 36.
But as he stood in the Charlotte sunshine on May 11, McIlroy seemed happy to bask in this obvious adoration.
Balionis has pointed this out McIlroy wore his ‘Mother’s Day’ pink but while she asked him to pay tribute to his mother, Rosie, she did not extend the same invitation to him to wax lyrical about Stoll, the mother of his three-year-old daughter Poppy.
So it was Rosie, not Stoll, who McIlroy described as “the kind of rock and gel that keeps our family together.”
McIlroy summed up his mood, telling Balionis, “It feels like the stars have aligned.”
Representatives for both McIlroy and Balionis did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
But especially when it comes to his relationship with the longtime CBS golf reporter, their chemistry and ease in each other’s presence is evident.
The flirty banter was evident at the Wells Fargo Championship on Mother’s Day, May 12, as Balionis giggled, flirted and talked her way through her interview with the golfer.
Dressed in a blush top that matched McIlroy’s, Balionis pointed out that he was wearing his “Mother’s Day” pink and asked him to pay tribute to his mother, Rosie, but made no mention of his now estranged wife and mother of his three. year-old daughter Poppy
Social media users have taken note of Balionis’ missing wedding ring, and more recently her coordinating outfits with McIlroy at the Zurich Classic on April 28 (pictured) and again at the Wells Fargo Championship two weeks later
And in addition to the golfer’s impending divorce and questions about the state of Balionis’ own marriage, fans have been quick to chime in on what some say are obvious points.
Friends close to McIlroy’s estranged wife said Stoll felt “lonely” in their marriage and that the couple had effectively lived separate lives for the past two years and McIlroy was playing on the PGA tour.
According to the source, “She knew what she was getting into with his profession, but once they got Poppy, things really changed and she had a new perspective.
“Erica was usually absent from most of his tournaments and was very focused on Poppy.”
And while Stoll stayed home to care for their daughter, Balionis was out and about appreciating McIlroy and co in action and in person.
Speaking to US Weekly, an insider said: ‘One point of contention in Rory’s marriage to Erica was that Erica was lonely in their marriage.’
McIlroy as, the source added, is “a difficult person to marry.”
But judging by her broad smile, he is, at least for Balionis, not a difficult person to get along with.
For his part, McIlroy seems keen to lend his name and support to causes close to Balionis’ heart.
In April, he took time out of his busy schedule to film a short video in support of Puppies$Golf, the nonprofit founded by Balionis in 2020 aimed at advocating for rescue dogs, rehoming and in some retraining cases into service animals for veterans.
Filmed at the PGA Zurich Classic in New Orleans, McIlroy showed his support for Balionis’ mission as he petted an adorable crossbreed and said, “Hello everyone, I’m Rory McIlroy and this is Cuddles.”
“Cuddles is waiting to be adopted and find her forever home. So if you’re so inclined, if you want to adopt her, click on the link and you’ll know where to find her.”
Just last week, McIlroy, pictured in September with his now estranged wife Erica Stoll, announced that he had filed for divorce after seven years of marriage.
Balionis was last pictured wearing her wedding ring on Instagram in early February (photo)
The stone has since disappeared and was notably absent from photos of her recent interview with McIlroy at the Wells Fargo Championship on May 11.
Balionis and her husband, college football coach Bryn Renner, were last seen together on her Instagram profile in October (photo)
In recent months, fans have been wondering what’s going on with Balionis’ two-year marriage to college football coach-turned-account executive Bryn Renner, 34.
The sports journalist and former University of North Carolina quarterback got engaged in 2021 and married in 2022.
But during recent performances, Balionis did not wear her wedding ring – the starlet disappeared from social media view in February.
And while neither party has filed for divorce, as has been rumored online, the reporter has changed her X username from her married nickname Balionis Renner back to her maiden name Balionis.
And while no Balionis have been spotted with her wedding ring or her husband lately, according to one source, McIlroy has been spotted spending time “all over San Diego.” More specifically…the Crown Point neighborhood of Pacific Beach.”
Nearby, more than 2,500 miles from McIlroy’s home in Jupiter, Florida, Balionis lives in a two-bedroom house she bought in 2020 for $789,000.
According to the source, “My sister was at a restaurant and he came in to pick up a ‘to go’ and used the name ‘Amanda’ as a pick-up. He paid in cash. Only a few people noticed him, and he was gone!’
Neither McIlroy nor Stoll have publicly commented on their split, aside from an official statement on May 14 from McIlroy’s communications team confirming the filing.
The sports journalist and former University of North Carolina quarterback got engaged in 2021 and married in 2022
McIlroy and Stoll started dating in 2014, months after his 2014 divorce from Caroline Wozniacki
These court documents filed last week in Palm Beach County were obtained by DailyMail.com.
They state that the marriage has ‘irretrievably broken down’.
The divorce petition also states that the couple had signed a prenuptial agreement, but the details of that agreement were not disclosed.
McIlroy’s attorney is listed as Thomas Sasser, the same attorney who represented Tiger Woods in his 2010 divorce.
The filing also calls for shared custody and the creation of a parenting plan for Poppy.
The four-time Major winner, whose career earnings are estimated at more than $87 million, failed to match his success of a decade ago when he played the PGA Championship in Valhalla last weekend.
It was the Kentucky course that gave him his last Major victory, way back in 2014.
Last weekend he finished in a tie for 12th place, nine shots behind the first major winner Xander Schauffele.