Ryder Cup hero McIlroy wins Sports Personality of the Year

A full-throated “Rory Roar” reverberated around MediaCity in Salford last night as Rory McIlroy became the first golfer in 36 years to win the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award - and tie a bow on a year for the ages.

- Sean Ingle

It was a fitting reward for the 36-year-old, who completed a career grand slam at the Masters in April then led Europe to a thrilling Ryder Cup victory in New York, in the teeth of unrelenting hostility from US fans.

For good measure, he also won the European Order of Merit. “2025 has been the year that I made my dreams come true, from Augusta to the Ryder Cup and everywhere else in between,” said McIlroy. “It has really been the year dreams are made of.”

The rugby star Ellie Kildunne was a surprise second, a just reward for her role in the Red Roses’ Women’s Rugby World Cup victory, while the Formula One world champion, Lando Norris, was third.

Europe’s Ryder Cup players were named team of the year. But this was McIlroy’s night as he became only the third golfer, after Dai Rees in 1957 and Nick Faldo in 1989, to claim the award. The Northern Irishman had made the podium in 2014 and 2023, and had said recently that if he didn’t win in 2025 he was never going to.