Rory McIlroy was spotted sporting his wedding ring at the Scottish Open after calling off his divorce from Erica Stoll last month.
The Northern Irish star is set to return to competition for the first time since losing the US Open title last month.
McIlroy had retreated from the golf spotlight, taking time off the course for the past three weeks following his implosion at Pinehurst and the drama of the turnaround divorce.
The four-time major winner will officially make his return to golf in Scotland at the first tournament before The Open Championship.
McIlroy admitted in a pre-tournament press conference that he had had a “tough few days” following his US Open collapse, before taking part in the Pro-Am event ahead of the Scottish Open.
Rory McIlroy took part in the Pro-Am event prior to the Scottish Open in North Berwick
McIlroy was seen playing with his wedding ring amid his reconciliation with wife Erica Stoll
McIlroy called off his divorce from Erica Stoll last month before competing in the US Open.
The star had been seen without her wedding ring during the first round of the US Open.
“I look back on that day the same way I look back on some of the toughest moments of my career and I’ll learn a lot from it and hopefully I can build on it,” McIlroy said.
“It’s something that’s been a recurring theme throughout my career, I’ve been able to take those difficult moments and turn them into great things soon after.
‘The way I would describe Pinehurst on Sunday is that it was a great day until it wasn’t.
‘I did things that Sunday that I hadn’t been able to do in the last few years, I took control of the golf tournament, I held the putts when I needed them, well, mainly, I made birdies and really got into the game.
‘It was a tough day, it was a tough few days after that, but as you get further away from it happening, you start to see the positive and all the good things you did during the week.
‘There are lessons learned, too. I vividly remember starting to feel a little bit uncomfortable waiting for my second putt on 16 and the putt on the last was a really tricky putt and I was very conscious of where Bryson was off the tee.
‘I knew I had to hit him very softly. If the back blow didn’t matter, I would have hit him harder.
‘I knew Bryson had hit it left off the tee, so I just wanted to make sure that if there was still a chance for a playoff, at least that would be it.’
McIlroy was seen playing with his wedding ring on at the Renaissance Club, another indication of his reconciliation with his wife of seven years, Erica Stoll.
On the eve of the US Open, she announced that she was calling off the divorce.
Just a month earlier, ahead of May’s PGA Championship, McIlroy announced that he and Erica were separating because their marriage was “irretrievably broken.”
McIlroy had been seen playing without his wedding ring during the tournament.
In a statement to The Guardian, she addressed speculation surrounding her relationship status, saying: “There have been rumours about my personal life recently, which is unfortunate. Responding to every rumour is a fool’s game.”
‘Over the past few weeks, Erica and I have realized that our best future was to live together as a family. Thankfully, we have resolved our differences and look forward to a fresh start.’
Just weeks after re-coupled, the couple appears to have truly rekindled their romance as they were spotted out and about in a rare public encounter.
The McIlroys enjoyed a date night with the golfer’s Ryder Cup teammates and their partners in London on Sunday night before presumably heading to Scotland for this week’s event.
McIlroy was a picture of devastation after blowing the US Open with two shocking putts
McIlroy announced on the eve of the main event that he was calling off his divorce from his wife, Erica
McIlroy (second back left) and Erica Stoll (fourth back right) enjoyed a night out with their Ryder Cup teammates and partners in London on Sunday night.
Diane Donald, the wife of victorious European captain Luke Donald, shared a photo of the group outing on her Instagram Story with Sister Sledge’s “We Are Family” playing in the background.
McIlroy is back in the golf spotlight, three weeks after his implosion at Pinehurst.
McIlroy, who held a two-shot lead entering the final round of last month’s major, racked up three bogeys over the final five holes and missed two putts from a combined seven feet.
He fled the course minutes after Bryson DeChambeau claimed victory and announced less than 24 hours later that he would not play another tournament until the Tour reaches Scotland this week.
In a statement on social media after the US Open, McIlroy said: ‘Yesterday was a tough day, probably the toughest I’ve had in my nearly 17 years as a professional golfer.
‘First of all, I’d like to congratulate Bryson. He’s a worthy champion and exactly what professional golf needs right now. I think we can all agree on that.
‘As I reflect on my week, I will regret a few things throughout the tournament, most notably the two missed putts on 16 and 18 on the final day. But, as I always try to do, I will look at the positives from the week that far outweigh the negatives.
McIlroy returns to competition after three weeks off following his collapse at the US Open
The star is hoping to defend his Scottish Open title before the Open Championship.
‘As I said at the beginning of the tournament, I feel closer than ever to winning my next major championship.
‘The one word I would use to describe my career is resilience. I have proven my resilience time and time again over the past 17 years and I will do it again.
“I’ll be taking a few weeks away from the game to process everything and recover for my defence of the Genesis Scottish Open and The Open at Royal Troon.”
McIlroy will be looking to put the disappointment of the US Open at The Renaissance Club behind him before attempting to end his decade-long drought of major Open wins at Royal Troon.
