Rory McIlroy has been named BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2025 after achieving a career Grand Slam title and playing a key role in Europe’s Ryder Cup victory.
Northern Ireland’s McIlroy took golf’s lead in April when he won the Masters at Augusta National, completing the set of all four majors.
The 36-year-old golfer became the sixth man to achieve the Grand Slam and the first European to achieve the Slam, joining Americans Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods, and South Africa’s Gary Player to accomplish the feat, reports BBC.
After winning the US Open and the PGA Championship in 2014, the golfer had to wait another eleven years before he could ‘make his dreams come true’. He then played a key role in the United States’ first Ryder Cup victory in Europe since 2012, contributing three and a half points to his team’s victory.
McIlroy also delighted his home crowd by winning the Irish Open for a second time, with further successes at the Players Championship and the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, before capping a stellar year with his seventh Race to Dubai title.
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After receiving the award, McIlroy said: “Wow”…”First of all, I would like to congratulate all the other finalists. I know how much hard work and dedication it takes, so it’s a pleasure just to be in this room. I feel truly honored to just be a part of it.”
“2025 has been the year I made my dreams come true, from Augusta to the Ryder Cup and everything in between. It’s the year dreams are made of,” he added.
Just minutes before collecting his individual award, McIlroy – along with Tommy Fleetwood – received the 2025 Team of the Year award after Team Europe were honored for their Ryder Cup success.
McIlroy is only the third golfer to win Sports Personality, after Dai Rees in 1957 and Nick Faldo in 1989.
“I have a lot of people to thank,” McIlroy said. “First of all, the audience, my family, my mother and my father. They have sacrificed so much for me. Without them I wouldn’t be here, so thank you” and “My wife Erica and my daughter Poppy are the ones who hold me together. My rock. I love you.”
“And to the BBC for organizing these awards: it’s always been something I watched on TV growing up.”
“It has always been a big part of the run-up to Christmas so I am very honored to get my hands on this trophy and hopefully I can take on the challenge of getting it again next year.”
Rory McIlroy early career and family
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Rory McIlroy was born in May 1989 in Hollywood, County Down, Northern Ireland. He was the only child in his family to attend ST Patrick’s, a Catholic primary school.
McIlroy’s father was also a golfer and he was introduced to golf at an early age by his father and given a set of plastic clubs when he was 2 years old.
At the age of 7, McIlroy became the youngest ever member of Holywood Golf Club and dreamed of becoming a professional golfer.
At the age of nine, McIlroy achieved his first victory at an international amateur tournament, at the U10 World Championship held at the Doral Golf Resort & Spa in Miami, Florida.
He became a professional golfer in September 2007 and entered the top 200 of the Official World Golf Ranking OWGR for the first time in 2008.
In 2025, he remembered him for two major titles, ‘The Players Championship’ and ‘Masters Tournament.’
McIlroy married former PGA of America employee Erica Stoll in 2017 and the couple have a beautiful daughter.
Rory McIlroy net worth
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After winning the Irish Open, McIlroy won $1.02 million. Earlier this year, the Sunday Times Rich List reported that McIlroy has a net worth of £260 million (€300 million).
Meanwhile, Forbes also estimates his annual earnings at $80.8 million.
McIlroy has a long list of lucrative sponsorship deals including TaylorMade, Nike, NBC Sports, Golf Pass, Omega, Optum and Workday and the website Celebrity Net Worth estimated his fortune at around $250.
Over the course of his 15 years on the PGA Tour, MCIlroy has earned $86.8 million, placing him third on the tour’s money list behind Woods ($121 million) and Phil Mickelson ($96.7 million).
This staggering amount makes him the 13th richest person under the age of 40 in Britain, with his earnings from golf alone sitting at around £140 million.
