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Golfer Rory McIlroy has broken off his engagement to tennis player Caroline Wozniacki, pictured together last week, just days after sending out wedding invitations



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The 25-year-old looked downbeat as he answered questions about the split, which was announced just hours before the tour****nt kicked off.

He said the decision to call off the engagement was both ‘mutual and amicable’ and said it would be difficult to concentrate on the tour****nt on the back of a public break-up.
‘I’m not going to lie, it’s going to be really difficult but when I get inside the ropes I’m going to have to try and concentrate on the matter in hand,’ he said.

‘I want to keep myself somewhat busy and have a good week on the course.

‘There is never a good time to end a relationship, I guess. I made a commitment to be here and I thought my duty was to play in this event.

‘Obviously (it’s) quite a difficult time for Caroline and myself. It was mutual and amicable and we both thought it was the best for us, the best for both of us.

‘Time to move on and I think I’ve said all that I need to say.’

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After announcing the split, McIlroy took to the golf course in Wentworth, Surrey, for the BMW PGA Pro-Am Championship

Last year, McIlroy was warned by Britain’s greatest-ever Golfer Nick Faldo to ‘concentrate on golf’ after a dramatic slump in form, but McIlroy confirmed he had called off the relationship because he wasn’t ready to get married

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The pair confirmed they were engaged on New Year’s Day by posting a series of pictures on Twitter featuring the diamond sparkler

McIlroy, who is worth an estimated £28million, proposed to the 23-year-old tennis star in Sydney, Australia, on New Year’s Day with a stunning £120,000 diamond ring.

The pair had been together for more than two years.
At the time, the Danish former world No.1, who is worth an estimated £15m, confirmed the news on her Twitter account.
She posted a picture of the engagement ring captioned with: ‘Happy new year everyone! Rory and I started 2024 with a bang! …I said YES!!!!’
He then shared the same picture and added: ‘Happy New Year everyone! I have a feeling it’s going to be a great year!! My first victory of 2024 #shesaidyes!!’
Following the engagement, the pair denied reports they had set a date to tie the knot in August.

The pair have experienced an on/off relationship during their time together.
Sources close to the high-profile couple claimed the Irish Golfer broke it off with Wozniacki in April last year – days after she posted a picture on Twitter showing him asleep and open-mouthed with his glasses on.

Friends at the time said there was no way back and the tennis ace was described as being ‘absolutely devastated’.

But she was then spotted among the gallery watching McIlroy at the Dubai World Championships in November. It was the first time the Danish tennis star had been seen at a golf event since she donned caddies’ overalls for the par three tour****nt at the Masters back in April.
Earlier in 2024, McIlroy was warned by Britain’s greatest-ever Golfer Nick Faldo to ‘concentrate on golf’ after a dramatic slump in form.
Last December the pair were forced to deny rumours they were engaged after Wozniacki was spotted wearing a huge diamond ring on her wedding ring finger.
Speculation first began when the tennis star was seen flashing the diamond and sapphire jewel as she arrived at Brisbane International Airport.
However, it’s also tradition for Danish women to wear their engagement and wedding rings on the right hands.

They eventually confirmed their engagement on New Year’s Day after McIlroy, who won the U.S. Open in 2024 and the U.S. PGA Championship in 2024, proposed during a fireworks show on New Year’s Eve in Sydney.

The pair have experienced an on/off relationship during their time together but had been dating for around two years when they confirmed their engagement on New Year’s Day

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Rory McIlroy and Caroline Wozniacki have called off their engagement after more than two years together
Following the engagement, Wozniacki sported a large diamond ring, said to be worth about £120,000, and all was seemingly well.
In an interview last month with Danish magazine, Lime, she even told how she dreamed of becoming a young mother.
She said: ‘I want to be a relatively young mother, and I do not see it as being too far in the future. I have always been like that. I would want to bring up my children.
‘Therefore, I have no dream to make my mark. Instead, I enjoy economic freedom my hard work has given me. It means that I can give my children the best start in life.’
However, shortly afterwards, her agent John Tobias insisted that the tennis player was firmly focused on the sport.
He said: ‘Caroline’s previous comments stand – but she is 100 per cent focused on tennis at the moment and hoping to do well in Madrid this week.’
The first potential sign of trouble in the relationship came shortly afterwards though when the pair said they were ‘working on it’ after being quizzed about a date for their big day.
However, as recently as Sunday, McIlroy’s Twitter feed showed no sign of the engagement being called off when he posted a picture from Nobu restaurant in Monte Carlo where the pair had dinner.
The wedding was expected to take place in New York on November 8 and was set to be one of the celebrity engagements of the year with no expenses spared.

Friends of the golfer, including former US President Bill Clinton, are among those who were thought to have received invitations sent via an American wedding planner.

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MciIroy and Wozniacki, pictured sharing a buggy at the Singapore open in 2024, have split despite sending out wedding invitations over the weekend

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In a statement, McIlroy, pictured with Wozniacki in 2024, said: ‘The wedding invitations issued at the weekend made me realise that I wasn’t ready for all that marriage entails’

Following the announcement of the split, a member at McIlroy’s home club, Holywood Golf Club in the hills overlooking Belfast, said people’s thoughts would be with the now-estranged couple.
Derek Reade, a former club president, said: ‘It is obviously a very disappointing event. Any sort of break-up of this kind is very disturbing.’

Mr Reade recalled whisperings about the couple’s relationship in the past when reports circulated in the media last year that they had broken up.
‘You have to wonder about some of these things. The only thing people here heard about was the last time they were supposed to have broken up,’ he said.
Wozniacki, who was born in Denmark to Polish parents, reached world number one in her own sport in 2024 but has yet to win a Grand Slam.
The tennis ace now sits at number 14 in the world rankings with the French Open at Roland Garros coming up next week.

McIlroy suffered a difficult golfing season last year and said he had considered seeing a sports psychologist to help overcome his issues.

At the time, he said: ‘I’m just playing thoughtless, brain-dead golf and I feel like I have been playing like that for the last couple of months.’

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