Rory McIlroy puts golf before girlfriend as he splits with Caroline Wozniacki

 
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14 October 2013
The Weekender

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Golfer Rory McIlroy has split from his tennis star girlfriend Caroline Wozniacki in a bid to get his career back on course.

The Northern Irish star arrived in Korea to begin a month-long tour of Asia after calling time on one of the sporting world’s most high-profile romances.

Wozniacki, 23, is said to “absolutely devastated” by the break-up, which is understood to have been fuelled by McIlroy’s desire to refocus on his game after a disastrous 12 months which has seen him slip down the rankings.

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Their hectic schedules are also understood to have played a part.

A source close to the 24-year-old golfer said: “Yes they are over. It’s a difficult time for them both but it is for the best in the long run.

“There were a lot of tears. She still has her profile picture on her social-networking site set as the two of them in happier times, but I can tell you the pair are no longer an item.

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Getty

“Rory has a lot of respect for Caroline and their time together was good, but he feels it’s time to move on now. And he wishes her nothing but the best.”

Dubbed “Wozzilroy” and both former number ones in their respective sports, the Ulsterman and the Danish star have had a very public courtship since they got together after meeting at a boxing match in 2011.

The pair had reportedly been going through a rocky patch recently and were forced to deny rumours they had broken up.

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That was before Wozniacki posted an unflattering photograph of McIlroy asleep on Twitter last month which apparently did not go down very well with the golfer.

McIlroy’s new PR firm The Communications Clinic today refused to comment on the break-up saying it was a “private matter”.

The split came as lawyers for the golfer were today launching a lawsuit in Dublin against his former representatives Horizon Sports Management over a £4.1 million commission taken on his lucrative sponsorship agreements, including a £150 million deal with Nike.

McIlroy was playing golf with Bill Clinton in Ireland this week while Wozniacki was in Monaco.

Recently on a night out in Copenhagen, Wozniacki tweeted: “Life is like Twitter. I just have to post what I feel, retweet the good memories, delete the drama and follow my dreams.”

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