Rory McIlroy was caught on camera pulling a sweet bucket away from his wife Erica Stoll just as she went to pick one while seated in the Royal Box at Wimbledon on day three of the championships. The awkward moment was broadcast by the BBC, prompting laughter from presenter Clare Balding.
Royal Box Incident
McIlroy, 37, was joined by his wife of nine years in the front row of the Royal Box, alongside fellow golfing legends Luke Donald, Tommy Fleetwood, and Edoardo Molinari. As the traditional bucket of sweets made its way along the row, Molinari passed the green bucket to McIlroy, which happened to match the Masters Green Jacket he was proudly wearing.
When McIlroy turned to offer Stoll some sweets, she placed her hand on the bucket and paused to weigh her choices. However, she deliberated too long, and McIlroy unwittingly pulled the bucket away and began passing it back just as his wife reached in to grab one.
BBC Coverage
The entire episode was captured by BBC cameras. Presenter Clare Balding teased: "This I think you're going to enjoy. This is a section we're going to call Wimbledon wildcards and first of all they are handing around the sweets in the Royal Box. That's [Edoardo] Molinari, he hands it through to McIlroy. That's a nice lether."
Tim Henman interrupted: "There's a good supply in that bucket. A few eclairs, a few sherbert lemons." Balding jumped back in: "Erica then! She's just about to take one and he rips it away!"
Djokovic Acknowledges McIlroy
McIlroy remained courtside well into the evening to witness Novak Djokovic defeat Stefanos Tsitsipas in straight sets. During his post-match on-court interview, the 24-time Grand Slam champion gave McIlroy a special mention, saying: "Rory, Justin [Thomas], obviously Luke [Donald], it's nice to see you guys. Congrats Team Europe on the Ryder Cup, I watched you guys. Rory, what a beautiful jacket. Is that a Masters jacket? It must be. Round of applause for Rory for the Masters, please. 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."
