Rory McIlroy claims Sports Personality of the Year award

December 19, 2025 Oliver Obel

Rory McIlroy’s defining moment did not come with a roar on Sunday night, but months earlier, on the 18th green at Augusta National. By the time the BBC named him Sports Personality of the Year, the award felt less like recognition and more like confirmation.

For much of the past decade, McIlroy’s career had been framed around what remained unfinished. In 2025, that conversation finally ended.

BBC Sport reported that the honour followed a season in which McIlroy combined individual achievement with team success on the sport’s biggest stages.

Augusta ends the wait

The turning point came in April, when McIlroy won the Masters to complete the career Grand Slam, becoming only the sixth male golfer to do so. The victory ended an 11-year pursuit of the green jacket and removed the one omission that had long defined discussions about his legacy.

Later in the year, he played a central role as Europe won the Ryder Cup on American soil, a rare away victory that further underlined his importance beyond individual tournaments.

Across the season, McIlroy also collected multiple PGA Tour wins and finished top of the DP World Tour’s Race to Dubai standings for a seventh time, reflecting consistency rather than a single peak.

Strong field of contenders

McIlroy was chosen from a six-person shortlist that included England Rugby World Cup winner Ellie Kildunne and Formula One world champion Lando Norris, who finished second and third.

England footballers Chloe Kelly and Hannah Hampton, members of the Lionesses’ European Championship-winning squad, were also nominated, alongside world darts champion Luke Littler.

“Everything I dreamed of”

Accepting the award, McIlroy pointed to both the scale of the season and the people who supported him through it.

“2025 has been the year that I made my dreams come true, from Augusta to the Ryder Cup and everything in between,” he said.

“It really has been the year that dreams are made.

“Thank you to everyone who voted for me as your Sports Personality of the Year. But my mum, my dad, they sacrificed so much for me and I wouldn’t be here without them.”

He also congratulated the other finalists, noting the commitment required to succeed across different sports and careers.

A rare accolade in golf

McIlroy became the first golfer to win the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award since Nick Faldo in 1989, a reminder of how rarely the prize goes to players from the sport.

He also collected the Team of the Year award alongside Ryder Cup teammate Tommy Fleetwood, reflecting Europe’s success as well as his own.

Other awards

The ceremony also honoured David Stancombe and Sergio Aguiar with the Helen Rollason Award for their fundraising efforts. Former Arsenal and France forward Thierry Henry received the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Pole vaulter Armand Duplantis was named World Sport Star of the Year, England manager Sarina Wiegman won Coach of the Year, and Michelle Agyemang claimed Young Sports Personality of the Year.

Sources: BBC Sport