When Rory McIlroy won the Masters tournament in April 2026, it felt good—but there was another part of his life that felt even better. The golf icon said that becoming a parent with his wife, Erica Stoll, to their daughter, Poppy McIlroy was the greatest thing he's ever done on or off the green.
"It's amazing," he said to Golf Week after Poppy was born. "You see other people having kids and babies, and you'll say congratulations and you're happy for them, but you don't really know how it feels. It's probably the best part of being a human being, and I'm glad that I got to experience it."
Poppy famously loves watching her dad golf, especially during Masters week.
"This has definitely turned into Poppy’s favorite week of the year," he said, adding jokingly, "I don’t know if it’s because of the Par 3 tournament or it's [because of the] all you can eat ice cream in the player services building.”
Get to know the little girl who he thinks is by par the best part of his life.
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Does Rory McIlroy have a kid?
Rory McIlory hugs his daughter Poppy at the Par Three Contest ahead of the Masters tournament on April 8, 2026.Photo by Jared C. Tilton on Getty Images
Yes, and he adores her.
"Poppy Kennedy McIlroy, born August 31st, 12:15pm," Rory wrote on Instagram announcing his daughter's arrival. "She is the absolute love of our lives. Mother and baby are doing great."
"You feel like you get to know your baby while she’s still in her mother’s belly, but to go from not having met this person to having unconditional love for them, there’s nothing like it in the world," McIloy Golf Week. “It’s probably the best part of being a human being, and I’m glad that I got to experience it.”
Related: Masters Winner Rory McIlroy Reacts to Outrageous Claim About His Character
As of this writing in April 2026, Rory McIlroy has one child, daughter Poppy.
Related: Rory McIlroy Wins Another Masters as Daughter Poppy Cheers Him On
What age is Rory McIlroy's daughter Poppy?
Born Aug. 31, 2020, Poppy is five years old as of this writing in April 2026—and she's already demonstrated talent at the tee, going viral in 2025 for a successful putt.
www.youtube.com/shorts/CFvlmzEsMNU
Rory said in a press conference at the time that Poppy has a lot in common with his wife, but that she gets her love of golf from him.
"Poppy, like she's a mini Erica. It's like living with two of them, which is great a lot of the time," he said. "She is the most unbelievably polite and respectful and well-behaved little girl, and I really love that she started to get into the game a lot more, and it all stemmed from the putt last year at the Par 3."
Poppy's enthusiasm meant that McIlroy had an extra putter in his bag this year.
He continued, "She made sure that I brought her putter up this year so she could hit the putt with her putter and not mine. Just to see her grow up to have her travel the world to see different places, to give her a life that I could only dream about when I was that age, that's been the coolest thing."
Rory said in a press conference after the 2026 Masters that becoming a dad made winning the tournament even more meaningful and gave him a new appreciation for his own parents, Rosie McDonald and Gerry McIlroy.
Rory McIlroy poses with the Masters trophy during the Green Jacket Ceremony alongside father Gerry, mother Rosie, wife Erica and daughter Poppy on April 12, 2026.Photo by Hector Vivas on Getty Images
“In the moment, I think when the ball trickled by and I marked it there from two inches or whatever, I just looked at the back of the green, and I give it one of these," he said, miming a fist pump. "Because I saw my mom and dad and Erica and Poppy, and I was just like, 'I can’t believe I’ve just done it again.'”
Rory said that having his entire family present made his win extra meaningful, in part because his parents initially thought they may have been bad luck.
“They missed it [in 2025], and the first thing I wanted to do was fly home to see them because I obviously wouldn’t be sitting up here if it wasn’t for them,” Rory recalled. “I had to sort of convince them to come this year because they thought the reason I won last year was because they weren’t here.”
“Mom and dad, I owe everything to you,” he added, fighting back tears. “You are … you’re the most wonderful parents and if I can be half the parent to Poppy that you were to me then I know I’ve done a good job.”
Related: Everything to Know About Rory McIlroy and Erica Stoll’s Marriage, Divorce Filing and Reconciliation
McIlroy doesn't have a new baby right now, but his five-year-old daughter's name is Poppy.
Related: Rory McIlroy’s Net Worth in 2025 Makes Him One of the Wealthiest Golfers of All Time
Why did Rory name his daughter Poppy?
Put simply, Poppy got her name because it's cute and different.
"We wanted to go with something that was pretty unique, maybe more common back where I’m from, but we landed on Poppy and we loved it," he told Golf Week.
Related: Rory McIlroy's Wife Erica Stoll Shows Unwavering Support After Divorce Filing Drama
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