Rory McIlroy's divorce U-turn, Tiger Woods' porn star mistresses and the $1 million Phil Mickelson had to give back... what happens on the course when golfers personal lives spiral as the US Open approaches

It's been just under a month since it was announced that Rory McIlroy had filed for divorce from his wife Erica Stoll after seven years of marriage.

The 35-year-old has continued to turn out on the PGA Tour following that announcement, though there are some reports that claim the Northern Irishman has been 'trying to find himself'.

The news of their split dropped on the eve of the PGA Championship and ironically, it was revealed on Tuesday that the pair have reconciled - just days before he tees it up at the third major of the year, the US Open.

In a shock U-turn, McIlroy told Dailymail.com that he and Stoll had realised their future would be better together. 'There have been rumours about my personal life recently, which is unfortunate. Responding to each rumour is a fool’s game,' he said.

'Over the past weeks, Erica and I have realized that our best future was as a family together.

'Thankfully, we have resolved our differences and look forward to a new beginning.'

As he looks to finally clinch his fifth major title after a 10-year hiatus, this announcement could be a huge boost for the Northern Irishman. Golf is a sport that is played in the mind as much as it is with a set of clubs. Having outside influences from his personal life creeping into his thoughts while on the course may be distracting for McIlroy, who is hell-bent on finally breaking his 10-year major championship duck.

McIlroy, a traditionalist in the game of golf, carried the fight against LIV Golf when the Saudi-backed breakaway league started to gather momentum and began to pose a threat to the PGA Tour. His spats with LIV CEO Greg Norman were particularly explosive and perhaps distracting - so much so that McIlroy's form may have seemingly taken a hit.

'I’d love to get back to being a golfer,' McIlroy said following the Players Championship in 2023.

He added, reflecting on the civil war that has engulfed the sport: 'It’s been a busy couple of weeks, and it’s been — honestly it’s been a busy sort of six or eight months.'

McIlroy gave up his role on the PGA Tour's Policy Board in November, citing that the position was 'not what he had signed up for' and added: 'The game of professional golf has been in flux for the last two years.'

And looking at results, it was perhaps plain to see that McIlroy was struggling with his game. He was cut from the Players in March 2023 and also failed to make the cut at the Masters in April.

But McIlroy is a resilient character, and while rumours have swirled around recent issues in his personal life, he can now put those to bed and focus on playing golf.

It is inevitable that he will one day end his wait for a fifth major. On his day, the 35-year-old is the best ball striker on the PGA Tour and his experience, having won four major championships before will always count in his favour.

Interestingly though, in the three months following his split from ex-fiance Caroline Wozniacki in 2014, McIlroy clinched four PGA Tour titles and two major championships - the US Open and the PGA Championship. Prior to that he had only won six times on the tour and had clinched only one major.

It appears he has been kicking into form in the past few months too.

The four-time major winner has, in recent months, seemingly gathered some momentum, following a sluggish start to the season, where he failed to break into the top-10 during his first five events on the PGA Tour - despite clinching victory on the DP World Tour at the Dubai Desert Classic in January. 

Back-to-back victories at the Zurich Classic in New Orleans and the Wells Fargo Championship in April and May seemed to kick-start some good form for McIlroy, who has since finished T12, T4 and T15 in his last three events.

The Northern Irishman will come into the US Open this week fancying his chances, particularly having won this tournament before.

But he is not the only golfer to have had to battle through personal issues while competing on the PGA Tour. Several professionals and greats of the game have shown that you can still win amid personal problems off the course - but sometimes it doesn't always quite end well.

Tiger Woods

The best golfer of our generation hasn't been without personal controversies during his playing career.

Amid all the scandals that have engulfed his personal life, Woods, who has 82 victories on the PGA Tour, has still managed to find some success.

The American's well-documented divorce from Swedish model Elin Nordegren has dominated headlines over the years. It came after the five-time Masters winner admitted to a string of infidelities that saw the pair split back in 2010.

'I am deeply aware of the disappointment and hurt that my infidelity has caused to so many people, most of all my wife and children,' the father of two said, speaking on the infidelity allegations back in December 2010.

In the years since, scandal has followed Woods, with the former world No 1 losing sponsorship deals, enduring a decline on the course while also suffering several injuries.

Since 2010, Woods has won only one major title, returning to Augusta in 2019 after undergoing several surgeries on his back to perhaps deliver the comeback to beat all comebacks and clinch his fifth Green Jacket. 

After splitting with Nordegren, Woods has had several other relationships, some of which have caused issues in his personal life, too. Woods subsequently dated American skier Lindsey Vonn between 2013 and 2015 - with the pair splitting on good terms. 

In May 2017, the professional golfer was arrested for driving while under the influence. 

Mug shots of Woods, barely recognisable, were released by the authorities, with MailOnline reporting that Woods had failed four sobriety tests and had taken four kinds of prescription drugs ahead of his arrest. 

'I understand the severity of what I did and I take full responsibility for my actions, I want the public to know that alcohol was not involved,' he said following the incident.

More recently, the three-time US Open champion would strike up a relationship with Erica Herman, but the pair would split in 2022. Herman had moved in with the superstar but filed two legal cases against him, which seemingly ended their two-year relationship. The first involved allegations that accused Woods of sexual abuse that she later stated were untrue, before filing a £23million suit against the golfer's estate alleging the Woods had deceived her in a bid to remove her from his home after their split. The suit was dropped in 2023.

Woods was also involved in a life-threatening car accident in 2021 which left him needing surgery on several fractures in his right leg. Coupled with the back injuries Woods had sustained earlier in his career, the golfing icon has made a slow return to the course and is currently limiting the amount he is playing.

But during those turbulent 14 years, Woods has still managed to win on the PGA Tour. He has won 11 times on the PGA Tour since 2010, notably clinching the 2018 Tour Championship, the 2013 Players Championship and the Arnold Palmer Invitational that same year.

Woods' resilience is commendable. Through his own personal difficulties the 15-time major winner has shown winning is still possible.

Phil Mickelson 

After all his battles with Tiger on the golf course, Mickelson also had to battle a few issues in his personal life - but they too didn't stop him from winning on the PGA Tour.

In May 2016, Mickelson was ordered to pay back almost $1million he made from an insider trading tip.

A lawsuit, issued by the Securities Exchange Commission, had alleged that the left-hander had got caught up in the scheme between 2008 and 2012. He was not personally accused of any criminal wrongdoing and subsequently agreed to pay back the 'ill-gotten gains'. His lawyers stated that he was unaware of the insider trading scheme, and had admitted in 2014 that FBI agents had questioned him after a round at the Memorial.

Mickelson stated: 'I've been fully cooperating with the FBI agents and I'm happy to do in the future, too, until this gets resolved.'

Even after that, the former Masters champion would go on to win three more times on the PGA Tour, notably claiming the 2021 PGA Championship at the age of 50, before joining LIV Golf in 2022.

Mickelson has also been open on his gambling addiction that has seen the LIV Golfer 'bet over $1billion' after having opened up on his gambling habits in September 2023 and how it has affected his family.

He had also been accused of betting on the 2012 Ryder Cup by Billy Walters, but the left-hander had flatly denied those claims.

He said: 'I never bet on the Ryder Cup/ While it is well known I always enjoy a friendly wager on the course, I would never undermine the integrity of the game. I have also been very open about my gambling addiction.'

Scottie Scheffler 

Scheffler is golf's good guy. You can see how other players speak about him that he is revered on the tour not only for his brilliance with the club in hand but for his demeanour, kindness and personability.

He is also a devout Christian and recently became a dad, after he won his second Green Jacket at the Masters in April.

That is why the news that he was arrested ahead of his second round at last month's PGA Championship came as such a huge shock to the world of golf.

Yet, while Scheffler appeared shaken by the arrest, out on the course he quickly put it behind him - even after having spent the morning in a local jail. Despite being charged with second-degree assault of a police officer, third-degree criminal mischief, reckless driving and disregarding traffic signals after he failed to stop when entering the grounds of Valhalla by a police officer, Scheffler ultimately went on to finish T8 - shooting a cool 66 for his second round.

On the golf course Scheffler has been unstoppable. He became the first player to win five times in a single PGA Tour season since Tom Watson in 1980 having clinched yet another title at the Memorial last weekend and he stands in good stead to pick up his first US Open title this week.

But the 27-year-old had time to laugh about the incident during a press conference on Tuesday after several players had poked fun at him in a WhatsApp group chat.

'But yeah, I think that's part of just having good friends. If all they did was make fun of me, it would be different. It wouldn't be as fun. But they're great guys, and they're great friends. So you've got to be able to look in the mirror and laugh at yourself, too. 

'Like I said, I don't love reliving it [the arrest], but sometimes being able to laugh about it is a good skill, too. When they make jokes, it's definitely hard not to laugh, especially with some of my good buddies, they're pretty funny with it.'

John Daly 

Daly is one of the most loved and iconic characters to have played on the PGA Tour.

But the two-time major winner hasn't gone without controversy during his career. was arrested back in 2008 for public intoxication and spent the night in jail after he had passed out in a Hooters restaurant.

Prior to that, Daly had also been embroiled in a fight with fellow player Jeff Roth's dad during the 1994 World Series of Golf. It came after Daly, one of the game's biggest hitters, drove the green twice. One of those shots almost hit Roth, leading to a scuffle between Daly and his father, Bob.

Daly was fined £13,000 by the PGA Tour and suspended for the rest of the season. He'd go on to win the Open Championship the following year. 

Dustin Johnson

Johnson once took a leave of absence to seek professional help for 'personal challenges' he faced.

According to a report from Golf.com, the outlet had alleged that Johnson tested positive for cocaine before taking a step back from playing in 2014 - allegations he has strenuously denied. 

Johnson opened up on the matter to ESPN and Sports Illustrated in 2015, saying:  'I did not have a problem.'

Talking specifically about cocaine he said: 'It's just something I'm not going to get into. I have issues but that's not the issue.

'I definitely have given up hard liquor 'cause that was the thing that I went to...it's been a big change.' 

He said: 'Like everyone I'm tested regularly by the Tour and as far as that's concerned ... I haven't failed anything. 

His hiatus from the game saw him miss out on the Ryder Cup at Gleneagles that year, with Europe besting the USA 16.5 to 11.5.

Despite that, Johnson would clinch one title on the tour that season at the World Golf Championships, before returning in 2015 to win the same tournament again, finishing T2 at the US Open, before winning the US Open the following year. 

He'd go on to enjoy a successful few years on the PGA Tour which culminated in his 2020 Masters victory, before he jumped ships to join LIV Golf.