PGA star Rory McIlroy and wife Erica Stoll held "secret meetings" at their Florida home for weeks before the professional golfer called off their divorce, RadarOnline.com has learned.
The news follows McIlroy's devastating loss at the U.S. Open on Sunday, June 16, in which he fell short of earning his elusive fifth major title by fumbling two crucial putts.
Sunday's final round at the U.S. Open marked what could have been for McIlroy, who had been dealing with the fallout of his marriage in the weeks leading up to the tournament.
After the shocking news that his divorce had been called off in the days before the start of the tournament, McIlroy appeared to be on top in life and his game once again. However, his hopes of hoisting his fifth major title came crashing down when he missed two crucial putts that would have secured his victory.
While commentating the U.K.'s Sky Sports, six-time major winner Sir Nick Faldo noted, "That's going to haunt Rory for the rest of his life, those two misses."
As this outlet reported, McIlroy, 35, filed for divorce — seemingly out of nowhere — on May 13, citing the marriage of seven years was "irretrievably broken."
Then, 35-year-old four-time major winner shocked fans once again when he scrapped his divorce filing last week.
Now, news details have emerged regarding the state of the couple's relationship in the weeks following the since-retracted divorce filing, painting a heartbreaking picture of how the couple, who share one child together, attempted to navigate the end of their relationship.
According to Irish outlet RSVP Live, McIlroy and Stoll secretly met at their home in Jupiter every weekend for four weeks straight to discuss matters related to their split, including how they would manage co-parenting duties for their three-year-old daughter Poppy.
An insider revealed that while Poppy's care was initially the focus of their meetings, their talks eventually led to reconciliation.
The source noted that McIlroy's reasoning for initially filing for divorce was "a long time coming" and was "not something that was taken lightly."
Their subsequent meetings were also said to have involved "a huge level of trust" on behalf of both parties. Stoll's actions after being served the divorce summons was also taken into consideration during their secret talks.
As RadarOnline.com reported, Stoll missed a timely deadline to file a written response to the divorce summons within 20-days of being served.
The paperwork served to her noted, "You have 20 calendar days to file a written response to the attached petition with the clerk of this circuit court."
"A phone call will not protect you. If you do not file your response on time, you may lose the case, and your wages, money and property may thereafter be taken without further warning from the court."
Never miss a story — sign up for the RadarOnline.com newsletter to get your daily dose of dope. Daily. Breaking. Celebrity news. All free.
Despite the looming deadline, Stoll reportedly did not hire a lawyer or respond to the divorce summons. She additionally refrained from speaking to the media about her split.
McIlroy's lawyer, Thomas J. Sasser, eventually filed a "voluntary dismissal" of the divorce proceedings while the professional golfer revealed he and his wife wished to move forward "as a family."