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Golf star Rory McIlroy found himself at the center of a playful moment during Wimbledon after accidentally snatching a candy bucket away from his wife, Erica Stoll, while they were seated in the Royal Box.
Joining a host of golf greats like Luke Donald, Tommy Fleetwood, and Edoardo Molinari-who all secured seats for the tournament’s third day-McIlroy was enjoying the event alongside his wife of nine years. As a candy bucket made its way through the front row, Molinari handed McIlroy a green container that matched the Masters Green Jacket he was wearing.
When McIlroy offered the bucket to Erica, she paused to decide which sweet to take. However, her hesitation was just long enough for Rory to mistakenly pull the bucket away to pass it along, right as she reached for a treat. The amusing exchange was caught on camera by the BBC, leading presenter Clare Balding to chuckle at the charming mix-up.
“This I think you’re going to enjoy,” Balding said. “This is a section we’re going to call Wimbledon wildcards. First, they’re handing around sweets in the Royal Box.”
Tim Henman added, “There’s a good supply in that bucket. A few eclairs, a few sherbet lemons.”
Balding continued, “Erica then! She’s just about to take one and he rips it away!”
McIlroy stayed well into the night to watch Novak Djokovic secure a straight-sets win over Stefanos Tsitsipas. During his post-match interview, Djokovic gave a warm shout-out to McIlroy and his fellow Ryder Cup teammates.
“Rory, Justin [Thomas], obviously Luke [Donald], it’s nice to see you guys. Congrats Team Europe on the Ryder Cup, I watched you guys,” Djokovic said.
“Rory, what a beautiful jacket. Is that a Masters jacket?
It must be. Round of applause for Rory for the Masters, please.”
He added with a smile, “I want that jacket. I’ll play you.
This jacket for that jacket, we’ll play tennis! No golf.
I want to thank them obviously for being present. I know they arrived early and stayed all day, so thank you guys.
It really means a lot seeing you here.”
The lighthearted candy caper and Djokovic’s friendly remarks made for a memorable day of sportsmanship and camaraderie at Wimbledon.