Report: Rory McIlroy and CBS' Amanda Balionis are 'the Talk of the Links' Now That He's Getting Divorced

Pro golfers are different from you and me in a lot of ways. And those differences are measured in more ways than just strokes, fairways hit and greens in regulation. 

There's almost nothing better for a regular, ordinary slob's marriage than a round of golf. Disappearing out of your spouse's hair for five or six hours does wonders for a relationship. I always believed that the reason my late, beloved father-in-law had both a great marriage and a great golf game was that he got out on the links 52 weeks a year. Even through the ice and cold of January and February. Anything, it seemed, to get away from my late mother-in-law for a few blissful hours. 

But when you're on Tour, it means endless time on your own. Away from home. Often halfway around the world. Grinding it out to make those cuts and bring home that cheddar. A lonely, solitary life of air travel, empty hotel rooms, and living out of a suitcase. Sometimes with no one to talk to but your caddy and playing partner. Other than sponsors that your contractually obligated to listen to while the drone on and on telling golf jokes and stories about how they disposed of their mistress' body. 

And so it should come as no surprise when any of these players' marriages fail. Even the true legends of the game. Tiger Woods being the prime example. And more recently, Rory McIlroy, who just split from his lovely bride. The two are currently hashing out who gets custody of the $22 million Florida house that used to belong to Ernie Els. 

What comes as a bit of a surprise however, is who Rory has reportedly rebounded with. Or more likely, who he was with prior to the breakup:

Source - He's filed for divorce. She's ditched her wedding ring and abandoned her married name. Coincidence? Well, maybe not.

In fact, DailyMail.com can reveal, Rory McIlroy's relationship with CBS's 19th Hole reporter Amanda Balionis is the talk of the links and has left many fans wondering just how close the pair have become. 

Last week, it fell to blonde Balionis to interview the 35-year-old champion after he won the Wells Fargo Championship in Quail Hollow, North Carolina on Mother's Day. 

It was a performance that only fanned the flames.

Dressed in a blush top that matched with McIlroy's own, Balionis giggled, flirted, and fangirled her way through the interview. 

'What gear did you have to find to assert your dominance once more over Quail Hollow?' the 34-year-old asked, looking through her lashes as McIlroy beamed back at her.

They stood close. She teased out details of his string of wins. 

Later, she asked him to tell her: 'Physically how good your game feels,' and fans could be forgiven for wondering just what 'game' the blushing reporter was referencing.

Barely 24 hours later, news broke that McIlroy had filed for divorce. …

And while there have been no sightings of Balionis with her wedding ring or her husband lately, according to one source, McIlroy has been seen spending time 'all around San Diego. More specifically…the Crown Point neighborhood of Pacific Beach' …  where Balionis lives in a two-bed home she bought for $789,000 in 2020.

According to the source: 'My sister was at a restaurant, and he came in to pick up a "to go" and used the name 'Amanda' as the pick-up. He paid cash – only a few people noticed him, and he was out!'

I think we can all agree that it's sad when a marriage breaks up. And doubly sad when two break up. But it's a quadruply happy thing when four people leave failing marriages and find true happiness with someone else. And assuming this report is true, at least half of these spouses have gotten there. 

And while we don't have definitive proof McIlroy and Balionis have found true love in one another, it's certainly not hard to believe. I mean, listen to that interview. 99 times out of 100 an interviewer talking to a guy who's married with children on Mother's Day will ask about his mom and his children's mom. Balionis couldn't have been less interested in the woman sitting back in Florida driving the McIlroy kids to play dates and dance classes. That would've just killed the obvious vibe they had going. 

And can you ask a more sexually charged question than the one about his physicality and how things are feeling? And the way he was eyefucking Amanda, it must've had to summon all her willpower not to gush about his soft touch around the pin. How he was keeping it long and straight right from the first hole. How he shaped his shots. How he kept draining all his hard putts. Or just coming right out and asking if he wanted to play a round. We could say, "Get a room," but if he really is picking up To Go orders for someone named Amanda 2,500 miles from his place in Jupiter, FL, it's seems pretty obvious they have. Allegedly. 

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And before anybody starts moralizing about this, just keep in mind that the heart wants what it wants. And it makes sense that these two wanted what they kept seeing every time CBS covered a tournament:

Women are attracted to successful sports figures. Successful sports figures are attracted to beautiful women who look good enough to be on television. I was with WEEI during the time Red Sox manager John Farrell was exposed for dating NESN reporter Jessica Moran. I argued that it wasn't a scandal in any sense of the word. That the only people Farrell was answerable to for who he sleeps with are the people whose names appear on his tax return. And as long as he can manage them to a World Series win like he had in 2013, it was a total non-issue. And I caught hell for it from fans and journalists who said it was a disgrace. Mclroy has even less to answer to than the manager of a baseball team. As long as he keeps winning on the course, let him win off it with a dime piece like Amanda Balionis.