Rory McIlroy is a golfing prodigy, having won 3 major tournaments before turning 25. He is now 28 and is considered one of the current greats in the sport, ranking among Jordan Spieth, Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus. The Northern Irish golfer was trained by none other than his father and he started him at a very young age. All that coaching and training paid off as he has been ranked as the number one golfer in the past and broke significant records in the sport.

But as is the case with many sport stars that achieve such heights in their given fields, they have a lot of what they want at their disposal. That includes loads of money, nice cars, big houses and the company of gorgeous women. Now as it turns out, the whole women portion of that seems to be a category Rory seems to be quite good at, as he’s enjoyed the company of many, and even had some serious relationships with a few of them and that was all before he finally settled down with the gorgeous Erica Stoll. Well, before settling down, he sure had a few adventures with the fairer gender, most notable were Meghan Markle and Caroline Wozniacki.

Here at The Sportster, we’ve got some inside stories about his past relationships—15 items to be exact, so without further a do …

15 He Sure Had His Fun

Of course his relationships didn’t start with Markle and Wozniacki. There have been many rumours that McIlroy dated and/or frequented many, many women before he got serious about seeing someone specific. He had been linked to many women in and around his circle and for years before he was linked to Markle.

As is the case for young athletes who first get a taste of the fast life and all the undoubted attention they receive. It sure takes some getting used to as many athletes have recounted. Although it didn’t take this young man long to tire of that life, we don’t doubt that he did have a few adventures for at least a short period of time.

14 Markle Denies She Ever Had A Relationship With The Golf Star

McIlroy’s former enamorata is set to marry the young Prince Harry on May 19th of this year, and as the big day soon approaches, we can’t help but wonder if the royal family frowns upon her many boyfriends of the past. In this day and age, it shouldn’t, but with the royal family, we can’t be too sure.

She was actually married before and to a film producer, no less. His name was Trevor Engelson and that marriage ended in 2013. She then moved on to Canadian hockey player, Michael Del Zotto, and in 2014 she met and started to frequent McIlroy until that relationship ended. Before encountering Prince Harry, she dated chef, Cory Vitiello. Well, no wonder somebody wanted to write a book on all that. Must be a page-turner, that one.

13 Markle Has Cancelled All Social Media Accounts

Yup… you heard us right on that one. Seeing that Markle is set to marry the youngest son of Sir Charles and Princess Diana this spring, the royal family has requested that she delete all of her social media accounts and any other and all dealings with the social media world. That definitely seems extreme.

She has also had to bid adieu to her acting career as she won’t have the time (or the permission) to continue in that line of work. These sure are a lot of changes to accept for a woman of 36 and in the obvious prime of her life. We can safely bet that things weren’t this hard and constricted while she was with Rory, now can’t we?

12 His Love Life Never Affected His Game

There have been so many stories about pro athletes that let "the life" get to them so profoundly that it ends up affecting their game. Whether it's partying way too hard, or letting the stresses get to them, many athletes have fallen hard on their way to the top, or even on their way out of their respective sports.

The names that come to mind most often in said category are Dennis Rodman and Mike Tyson. They let their personal lives affect their pro careers and we all know what those affects led to. As for young Master McIlroy, no matter how difficult and trying his personal relationships may have been, he never let that affect his A-Game, and that's impressive to say the least.

11 A Tell-All Book

Of all the things people could be reading, people seem to be very interested in the love life of Meghan Markle, the soon to be wife of Prince Harry, the youngest member of the British Royal Family. Apparently, the book will divulge all the info and gossip pertaining to her love life and her past with men, and no doubt our very own Rory McIlroy is mentioned on a lot of those pages.

The book, Harry And Meghan – The Love Story was written by Emily Herbert and goes into the many relationships the 36 year old former actress was in and the details are nothing short of deep and secretive, we’re sure.

10 The Royal Wedding

After seeing all the fuss made in the press about the big royal wedding of Kate Middleton and Prince William, McIlroy must feel at least some relief knowing he won't be caught up in the coming whirlwind. The upcoming royal wedding promises to be the most talked about and viewed event of the year, and maybe of the decade.

Many in the press were quick to criticize Kate Middleton every chance they got, until she finally won them over with her grace and charm. Hopefully Meghan Markle can do the same, as her personality and humanitarian work are truly great examples to aspire to.

9 Woz And Mac Seemed Perfect For One Another

Caroline Wozniacki is a professional tennis player of Danish descent. As of January 29th of this year, she is ranked 1st in her sport. She has had her ups and downs professionally, but her long road can indeed be considered successful.

From 2011 until 2014, she and McIlroy were indeed romantically linked and their relationship was made public, as the two athletes made quite the pair, yet only on the surface. They seemed happier than two peas in a pod in all of their magazine and newspaper photos and social media pics, but problems were bubbling below the surface. As it turned out, the relationship was rocky from the start and it ended pretty badly, as you will soon read on.

8 McIlroy And Wozniacki Were Actually Engaged

The news that a celebrity or famous actor or sports star is being taken off the market usually gets the press going quite a bit. Online and print mags alike can’t go crazy enough wanting to be the first to break the big story. And why not … news like that sure sells a lot of papers, that’s for sure? Especially if the star in question is sought after in the public eye and on social media.

Well, when these two started dating, we’re sure they went into it with the best of intentions and the public couldn’t get enough of the seemingly happy couple. And it was on January 1st, 2014 that she made the announcement of their engagement via Twitter, and we’re sure you can figure out what came next.

7 McIlroy Ended It

News of their impending wedding spread fast and just as the world was getting used to the fact that their favorite golfer and tennis star would be spending the rest of their lives together, it was over before anyone could say, “And you may kiss the bride.” As of the 21st of May, just about 4 months since announcing their wedding plans, McIlroy announced that the wedding was off.

His comments were pretty plain, but there seemed to be so many unmentioned undertones between the lines: " …The problem is mine. The wedding invitations issued at the weekend made me realize that I wasn't ready for all that marriage entails. I wish Caroline all the happiness she deserves and thank her for the great times we've had …"

6 Hurt Feelings

Of course a break-up of that stature doesn’t happen without a few broken hearts and varying stories about what exactly went on. She has stated that she was surprised when it happened, seeing that he released his statements after they had sent out their invitations to the wedding. She was embarrassed, clearly, but she has also gone on to say that she is indeed “over it.”

As for why he did it, the popular theory is that he developed a serious case of cold feet. Apparently, he ended things between them with a very short phone call. As for Caroline, she has moved on and has stated that she is in fact very happy that things fell the way they did. On the 14th of February, she announced her relationship with former NBA star, David Lee. The couple is now engaged.

5 Interesting Revelation About His Relationship With Wozniacki

After his relationship ended with Wozniacki and his relationship with Stoll began, he was a little more forthcoming about what may have gone wrong. As it turns out, he has gone on to say that when he was trying to deal with his life in the public eye, he reasoned with himself that somebody in the same position—level of fame and lifestyle considered—was the right answer for him, thinking that they’d better understand each other.

As it turns out, he felt even more trapped by being too similar to his then fiancée--in terms of lifestyle--stating that when both parties are in the same boat, there is no escape from the turmoils of an everyday life in the public eye.

4 He Never Contacted His Ex Again

Couples fight and couples break-up. Yes, that is an understatement, but please bear with us as we do have a point. Most couples who have fallen the way of breaking up try desperately to keep things amicable so that they can keep some sort of relationship with the person they tried to have a life with. Unfortunately, sometimes things don’t end on the best of terms.

Seemingly, such seems to be the case for McIlroy and Wozniacki as he has never contacted her again since he ended things with her. It was she that made this statement and he has not confirmed or denied it, but we tend to lean towards a strong belief in her statements. But for him to keep his distance, things must have ended really badly between the two, and there’s surely more to the story than has been released.

3 Wozniacki Now Believes Break-up Was A Blessing In Disguise

As we've learned, Wozniacki was devastated after her abrupt break-up from McIlroy and it sure took her by surprise and affected her deeply. Some telling statements that she made at the time were no doubt harsh as her anger was in fact quite fresh and ever-present at the forefront of her thoughts and blame for McIlroy was apparent in all she had to say about the evident ordeal.

But, as time has passed, she has gone on to claim that what happened between them was nothing more than a blessing in disguise, as she too has found happiness. Guess it's true what they say: time really does heal all wounds.

2 His Future Wife To Be Was Right Under His Nose The Whole Time

The stories behind celebrity love affairs are indeed popular and when it comes to sports stars, that public interest is just as intense if not more so. Well, McIlroy’s and Stoll’s story doesn’t disappoint, as it is rather amusing. As it turns out, his future wife to be and soul mate was right under his nose from the start. Erica Stoll was actually a PGA employee.

It’s quite funny to imagine how many times they must have crossed paths over the years as he was dealing with his exes and the entire slew of problems that those relationships brought. But of course that is merely speculation, but at least they found each other. And as they say, sometimes the hardest things to find are the ones that are right in your immediate vicinity.

1 Interesting Timelines

Well everybody’s got the right to play the field now don’t they? And McIlroy certainly did that, having the opportunity to date quite a few successful, intelligent and beautiful women. But the woman to finally steal his heart came in the form of Erica Stoll, and as he has claimed, he couldn’t be happier. The two started dating in 2015 and got engaged soon after. They were married in April of 2017. Although many have speculated that the two met before his relationship with Wozniacki had ended and may have been the reason for his not wanting to go through with the marriage.

No… he didn’t develop “cold feet” with Stoll. In fact he was pretty sure about where he wanted things to go with her. So through all the ups and downs and uncertain relationships, he seems to have found the right person for him and well, we wish them all the best.