Rory McIlroy spoke about his daughter after winning the 2026 Masters Tournament, sharing a lighthearted moment that drew attention during Masters week. McIlroy, 36, discussed his 5-year-old daughter Poppy, whom he shares with wife Erica Stoll, in a clip shared by CBS Sports on TikTok.
In the video, McIlroy explained why the Masters has become his daughter’s favorite event of the year.
Rory McIlroy Reveals Daughter Poppy’s Favorite Part of the Masters
@cbssports The ending reaction from Rory’s daughter 🥹 ❤️
♬ original sound – CBS Sports – CBS Sports
McIlroy said his daughter looks forward to the tournament for a specific reason, pointing to one of the event’s traditions.
“This has definitely turned into Poppy’s favorite week of the year,” McIlroy said. “I don’t know if it’s because of the Par 3 tournament or it’s all you can eat ice cream in the player services building.”
The comment came after his win at Augusta National, where Poppy was present during the week. In the TikTok clip, she reacted by shaking her head and covering her face as her father spoke.
Poppy has previously participated in Masters week activities. During the 2025 Par 3 contest, she made a putt that rolled into the hole, drawing a reaction from the crowd. The official ESPN X account shared the moment, writing, “Perfect speed on the putt from Rory McIlroy’s daughter Poppy 🙌 #themasters.”
The 2-Time Winner Explains Masters Preparation and Family Balance
McIlroy also discussed how he prepared for the Masters while spending time with his family. He said he avoided playing in multiple tournaments leading up to Augusta and instead made short trips to practice the course.
“I honestly just don’t like the three tournaments leading up to this event,” McIlroy said after Round 2, via Golf Digest. “I’d rather come up here … I did a couple of days where I dropped Poppy to school, flew up here, played, landed back home and had dinner with her or had dinner with Erica.”
He has also spoken about how his daughter is beginning to understand his career. During the 2025 Masters, McIlroy explained that she had started to recognize his public profile.
“I think it was the first time that she sort of realized what I did, which was really cool [and] also a little scary at the same time,” McIlroy said. “It’s amazing that I can share these things with her and with Erica.”
He added, “The day after the Players, she went into school, and there’s a couple of kids that had said some stuff to her, and she came home to me that day and said, ‘Daddy, are you famous?’ And, I said ‘It depends who you talk to.’”
McIlroy also opened about fatherhood in a previous interview with Golfweek, describing the experience in simple terms.
“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,” McIlroy said. “It’s probably the best part of being a human being, and I’m glad that I got to experience it.”
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