Press Eye Ltd/REX ShutterstockRory McIlroy is ready to settle down.
The golfer and girlfriend Erica Stoll have stepped out about a week after engagement rumors surfaced. Stoll flashed her diamond ring when she and her future husband attended The Paddy Wallace Fund in Belfast Thursday. McIlroy and Stoll have been dating for about a year, and the 26-year-old Irishman decided he was ready to spend the rest of his life with Stoll on a recent trip to Paris. McIlroy posted a picture of the Eiffel Tower, where many have speculated that he popped the question.
He and Stoll made their first public appearance together in June at the Royal County Down, but before that they were spotted in Rochester, New York, in April. Although the golfer likes to keep his private life out of the limelight, he did give The Times of London some insight into his relationship when it started to get serious.
"I am very happy in my love life," McIlroy said. "We haven't really been putting it out there. She is from America, which is why I like to spend time in Palm Beach."
Stoll's effect on McIlroy seems to be only positive. "If everything off the golf course is good it allows you to be better on it as well," he added.
Even though McIlroy called Stoll "someone new," he has known her for a few years. Like many couples before them, they started out as "good friends" and transitioned into coupledom. "The past six or seven months have been really nice," he added. "That part of my life is going great."
Prior to Stoll, McIlroy was engaged to professional athlete Caroline Wozniacki. They began dating in 2011 and McIlroy popped the question on New Year's Eve 2014, but five months later he called off the engagement after realizing he "wasn't ready for all that marriage entails."
"The problem is mine," he said in a statement. "I wish Caroline all the happiness she deserves and thank her for the great times we've had."
Courteney Cox also recently called off her engagement. Watch the video to find out more.