The McIlroy clan has officially grown by one.
Rory McIlroy announced the birth of his and wife Erica’s first child on social media early Thursday morning. The baby girl, named Poppy Kennedy McIlroy, was born in Jupiter, Fla.
“Poppy Kennedy McIlroy, born August 31st, 12:15pm,” the post said. “She is the absolute love of our lives. Mother and baby are doing great. Massive thank you to all the staff at Jupiter Medical Center and Dr. Sasha Melendy for their amazing care.”
Last week at the BMW Championship, McIlroy spoke publicly about Erica’s pregnancy for the first time.
“We’re about to be parents very soon, so we’re obviously super excited,” McIlroy said. “Yeah, we’ve been sharing the news with friends and family, obviously, but I didn’t think it was something that I really particularly needed to share out here. It’s a private matter, but we’re really excited and can’t wait for her to get here.”
McIlroy said he was expecting a call at any moment to come home to welcome the child and instructed caddie Harry Diamond to keep his phone on him at all times. There has been no word on if McIlroy will play in the Tour Championship, though he did say last week that the birth of his child takes precedent.
“I’m going to play in many more Tour Championships and it’s only going to be the birth of your first child once,” he said. “That trumps anything else.”
McIlroy currently sits 12th in the FedEx Cup standings and would start the championship at three under (if he chooses to play), seven shots back of leader Dustin Johnson.
