Rory McIlroy's wife was not pleased about Tiger Woods texting her husband at four o'clock in the morning. The reigning Masters champion said as much himself, and the anecdote, resurfaced in a new book, offers a glimpse into a friendship that has shaped professional golf for the better part of a decade.
The detail comes from Alan Shipnuck's book, "Rory: The Heartache and Triumph of Golf's Most Human Superstar," as reported by the New York Post. In comments attributed to McIlroy from 2017, the Northern Irish golfer described Woods' relentless late-night messages, and his wife Erica Stoll's reaction to them.
McIlroy told Shipnuck:
"He'd be texting me at four o'clock in the morning: 'Up lifting. What are you doing?'... Erica actually got p***ed off with it. He was texting me in the middle of the night and I was like, 'Tiger is in the gym.'"
McIlroy chalked up the odd hours to Woods' training habits. "He struggles to sleep, which I think is an effect of over-training, so I tell him to calm down sometimes," McIlroy said.
McIlroy grew up in Northern Ireland idolizing Woods. By 2022, the two had moved well beyond a fan-idol dynamic, they helped form TGL together that year, and McIlroy spoke openly about the depth of the relationship.
"He has been an idol and a hero of mine over the years, and I feel pretty lucky that I've gotten to know him more intimately than some."
McIlroy also praised Woods' commitment to the PGA Tour and its players. "He is so passionate about what we're doing," McIlroy said. "He realizes that the PGA Tour gave him a platform to build his brand and let him be who he is, and he has tremendous respect for the people who have come before us."
That respect, McIlroy added, extended to every player on tour. "Having his influence and having his counsel, not just myself but all of the players on the PGA Tour, he's a great advocate to have, and it's awesome to be doing these things with him," he said. "I have to pinch myself pretty much every day that I'm in this position."
The book excerpt resurfaced at a pointed moment. Woods is not at this year's Masters, and neither is Phil Mickelson. The two are widely considered among the best players the sport has ever produced, and their combined absence marks a stark change at Augusta National Golf Club.
Woods' absence follows a crash involving his Range Rover in Florida and a subsequent DUI arrest at the end of March. He is reportedly now at a rehab center in Switzerland.
McIlroy, the defending champion, addressed the situation Tuesday night during the annual Champions Dinner at Augusta. He did not dwell on the details of Woods' troubles, but he made clear he wanted both men recognized.
"So many legends of the game there [at the dinner]. Obviously, there's two that won't be with us this year, which is a shame, but hopefully they will be with us in the future, and I'm sure they will be with us in the future."
He added: "I want to make sure that they're acknowledged. They've been two of the greatest champions that the Masters has ever seen."
The remark was graceful. It was also notable for what it did not include, no public scolding, no distancing, no attempt to score points off a man in crisis. McIlroy simply honored two absent champions and moved on.
The DUI arrest and crash have drawn intense public scrutiny to Woods' personal life once again. The specifics of the rehab center in Switzerland have not been publicly confirmed beyond what has been reported. But the broader picture, a generational talent sidelined by off-course problems, is painfully familiar to anyone who has followed Woods' career.
The fallout has reached beyond the golf world. Reports have surfaced about pressure from those closest to Woods to get his life in order, a sign that the consequences of his choices are being felt well beyond the fairway.
Meanwhile, the Masters opened this year without Woods or Mickelson for the first time in more than three decades. That absence alone tells a story about the passing of an era, and the cost of personal recklessness in a sport that prizes discipline above nearly everything else.
The anecdote about Erica Stoll's frustration is easy to play for laughs. A wife annoyed by her husband's phone buzzing before dawn, it's relatable. But the detail also reveals something about Woods that his critics rarely acknowledge: the man's intensity did not stop at the course. He was in the gym at four in the morning and wanted his friends to know it.
McIlroy did not frame the texts as a burden. He framed them as evidence of Woods' obsessive drive. And he spoke about the friendship with a sincerity that is rare in professional sports, where alliances shift with every sponsorship deal and ranking change.
On April 9, 2025, McIlroy was photographed smiling alongside Stoll during the Par Three Contest at Augusta National. Whatever annoyance the late-night texts once caused, the couple appeared to be in good spirits at the tournament McIlroy now defends as champion.
The friendship between McIlroy and Woods, forged through shared competition, business ventures like TGL, and apparently a lot of predawn text messages, has been one of the more genuine relationships in modern golf. McIlroy has never hidden his admiration. And even now, with Woods absent and facing serious legal and personal consequences, McIlroy chose loyalty over distance.
That says something about McIlroy. It also says something about what the sport loses when its greatest figures can't keep their own lives in order. Talent earns you a platform. Character determines whether you get to keep it.
