Rory McIlroy's Divorce Lawyer Has A History Of Representing Celebrities During Splits

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Rory McIlroy has reportedly hired Thomas Sasser to represent him during his divorce from his wife of seven years, Erica Stoll. If Sasser's name looks familiar, that's because he has a long history of representing high-profile celebrities during splits between partners.

McIlroy reportedly filed for divorce in Florida on May 13, one day after he earned his 26th win on the PGA Tour after finding the winner's circle at the Wells Fargo Championship. 

Shortly after news of the divorce broke, McIlroy's communications team confirmed that the filing had been made while stressing "Rory's desire to ensure this difficult time is as respectful and amicable as possible."

The Daily Mail obtained the divorce filing and has reported that the documents state that the marriage was "irretrievably broken." The filing reportedly states that McIlroy and Stoll signed a prenuptial agreement and calls for shared custody and a parenting plan for their daughter, Poppy, who was born in 2020.

The documents also listed Sasser as McIlroy's representative.

Sasser, the managing partner of law firm Sasser, Cestero & Roy, P.A. in West Palm Beach, is best known for representing Tiger Woods when his wife, Elin Nordegren, divorced him in 2010. 

Rory McIlroy is getting divorced. (Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images)

One of the more memorable things to come of the Woods-Nordegren divorce is that she ended up receiving a $750 million settlement, which was much more than Nordegren and her lawyers originally sought.

Since representing Woods, Sasser has gone on to represent the likes of Joe Jonas during his divorce from ‘Game of Thrones’ star Sophie Turner as well as Gisele Bundchen during her divorce from former NFL quarterback Tom Brady.

McIlroy first met Stoll in 2012 when she was working for the PGA of America and the Ryder Cup at Medinah Country Club. The four-time major winner has credited her for playing a part in getting him to the golf course with a police escort after McIlroy misinterpreted his tee time for his match during the biennial event.

When the couple first met, McIlroy was dating tennis superstar Caroline Wozniacki at the time. McIlroy and Wozniacki got engaged before calling things off in 2014. He and Stoll got engaged in December 2015 before tying the knot at Ashford Castle in April 2017.

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Mark covers all sports at OutKick while keeping a close eye on the world of professional golf. He graduated from the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga before earning his master's degree in journalism from the University of Tennessee. He somehow survived living in Knoxville despite ‘Rocky Top’ being his least favorite song ever written. Before joining OutKick, he wrote for various outlets including SB Nation, The Spun, and BroBible. Mark was also a writer for the Chicago Cubs Double-A affiliate in 2016 when the team won the World Series. He's still waiting for his championship ring to arrive. Follow him on Twitter @itismarkharris.