Several news sites are reporting that Rory McIlroy has broken up with his girlfriend, tennis star Caroline Wozniacki.
There have been rumblings for the last few months that the relationship was on rocky ground, but the breaking point apparently came when she posted an unflattering picture on Twitter of McIlroy sleeping, with the caption, “Jetlag @mcilroyrory ? Lol!!”
“There were a lot of tears,” a source told the Irish Independent. “She still has her profile picture on her social-networking site set as the two of them in happier times, but I can tell you the pair are no longer an item.
“Rory has a lot of respect for Caroline and their time together was good, but he feels it’s time to move on now. And he wishes her nothing but the best.”
Other reports said the 24-year-old McIlroy, who rose to No. 1 in the World Golf Rankings last year by posting five victories around the globe including his second major at the PGA Championship, simply wants to concentrate on his game after a disastrous season.
Gary Player, for the second time this year, gave his opinion of McIlroy’s struggles on the course, and how his personal and business problems have seem to have impacted his game.
McIlroy recently made his second management change in two years when he left Horizon Sports Management to form his own company, leading to legal charges.
“If you’re a young man like Rory, you can’t play with worries,” said Player, the 77-year-old golf icon from South Africa. “You can’t have managerial problems, you can’t have women problems. You’ve got to be out there and have a free mind. And that’s why Arnold (Palmer), Jack (Nicklaus) and I won something like 55 majors between us. Because we had three wives that were very, very special.
“I can tell you, many of the pros that have done well divorced several times and they never quite reached the heights they could have if they had the wives that we had. So I’ve experienced this and seen this.
“Now I think he’s (back) on the road to success.”
McIlroy, who has slipped to No. 6 in the world, will tee it up on Thrusday in the Kolon Korean Masters, the first of three consecutive weeks he is playing in an attempt to salvage his year.
He also has committed to the BMW Masters at Lake Malaren Golf Club and the WGC-HSBC Champions at Sheshan International Golf Club, both in Shanghai, the next two weeks.
