Rory McIlroy on girlfriend Erica Stoll: She has been great for me

Rory McIlroy seems to be pretty thrilled about his engagement to new girlfriend Erica Stoll.

McIlroy and Stoll first met at Medinah in 2012 when she came to his aid and helped him from being late at the Ryder Cup. They began dating since late 2014, some months after McIlroy called off his engagement to Caroline Wozniacki. During a recent trip to Paris, the former world No. 1 golfer proposed, and the two got engaged.

Speaking from the Facebook headquarters in Dublin, McIlroy talked about Stoll.

“I know you’ve seen Erica around tournaments a lot but we really have tried to keep it low key,” he said via The Guardian. “She is a low-key person but she brings a level of normality to everything. She has a calming presence and that’s not just on me, it is noticeable in any company.”

Unlike Wozniacki who is also a former No. 1-ranked player in her sport, Stoll is not someone used to being in the spotlight. That seems to work quite well for McIlroy.

“She never wants to be the center of attention and is always comfortable in the background. It is great having someone like that and someone who knows what it is all about, having been around the game.

“She has been a great influence on me and has brought such a great balance to my life, between who I am when people see me out in the public eye and who I am at home. So that side of my life is really good just now. We are excited, our parents are excited, so it is a really happy time.”

Though he is in the middle of the golf offseason, McIlroy does not see a wedding happening too soon. He says nothing is planned for 2016, but something may happen beyond that. It also seems like that part doesn’t matter as much; he seems to have found the right girl for him, unlike his relationship with Wozniacki, whom many thought was wrong for him.