“If I don’t win it this time, I never will.”
And it was hard to disagree with Rory McIlroy.
But after a drought stretching back 36 long years, a golfer has been crowned BBC Sports Personality of the Year.
And a very special golfer at that.
McIlroy capped off the best year of his illustrious career in style, getting his hands on the historic trophy at MediaCity in Salford on Thursday night at long last.
He came closest to winning it 11 years ago when he became the first UK male golfer to win back-to-back majors, at The Open and the PGA Championship, but was pipped by Lewis Hamilton, who even admitted his shock at victory.
Since then, 2016 Masters champ Danny Willett finished 16th out of 16 finalists with 0.3 per cent of the vote.
Major winners Georgia Hall and Matt Fitzpatrick did not even make the SPOTY shortlist after their respective triumphs.
And McIlroy did not endear himself to Beeb bosses or the viewing public when nominated in 2023 – failing to even join on a video call or send a pre-recorded message, let alone attend the event.
He said soon after: “Whenever I saw the results, I forgot I was nominated so that’s how much I think about it. It’s a popularity contest. It’s not what it once was.”
BEST FREE BETS AND BETTING SIGN UP OFFERS
But this time around, things were different.
Firstly, McIlroy knows his role – especially on this side of the pond – to represent golf to the press and the public, particularly in the wake of the LIV Golf fallout, has taken on extra significance.
But secondly and most importantly, McIlroy undoubtedly deserved to win it.
He told The Telegraph of his intentions to be there in early November: “Yeah, the plan is to go.
“I have more chance of winning if I’m actually there and I recognise that with the audience the show attracts, it could only be a good thing for the game.”
So it proved as McIlroy pipped the likes of Euro winning Chloe Kelly and F1 world champ Lando Norris to the prestigious gong.
And rightly so after his stellar season which included his heroic performance for Europe in the Ryder Cup and securing that green jacket he so desperately craved – and a cool $32million.
McIlroy started the year in perfect fashion, winning the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in his first event of 2025.
The Northern Irishman added The Players – dubbed golf’s ‘fifth major’ – in a play-off with J.J. Spaun in March, weeks before joining Tiger Woods as only the second golfer to surpass $100m in career prize money.
He joined Woods in another elite group in April, thanks to the most famous play-off win of all.
McIlroy put himself and his adoring fans through the ultimate rollercoaster wringer on the Sunday at Augusta.
But when he rolled in his birdie putt on the first play-off hole against Justin Rose, he was finally the Masters champion and cemented his status as an all-time golfing great.
McIlroy sunk to his knees in sheer relief and delight as the emotion came pouring out and the heaviest of weights fell off his shoulders with one stroke of his putter.
At the 11th attempt, he had completed the Career Grand Slam, becoming just the sixth man ever to achieve the feat – and the first since Woods in 2000.
Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods and now Rory McIlroy.
His form understandably dipped in the subsequent months, finishing T47 at the PGA Championship and T19 at the US Open, as he came to terms with finally summitting his “Everest”.
He came second at the Scottish Open then T7 at his home Open at Portrush as Scottie Scheffler himself moved within a US Open of the Career Grand Slam.
But McIlroy turned on the style towards the end of the season.
In September, his monster 27-foot eagle putt on the 72nd hole at the beloved Irish Open forced another play-off – and led to another win in extra time.
That saw him arrive at Bethpage Black ready and raring to secure a rare away Ryder Cup win.
After the humiliation of Whistling Straits, McIlroy declared in Rome in 2023 that Europe would go and win in New York.
And he came up trumps – in front of the American president – despite a deluge of vitriolic abuse and disgusting behaviour from the appalling home crowd, who even threw a drink at his wife Erica on the course.
McIlroy bit his tongue most of the time – but did let rip with some X-rated outbursts when the abhorrent conduct of the American fans crossed the line – and let his outrageous golf do the talking.
He won three and tied one of his first four matches, including a thrilling and tense fourballs win with Shane Lowry on the Saturday afternoon, as Europe opened up a whopping 11½-4½ lead going into Sunday’s singles.
McIlroy was physically and emotionally exhausted as he lost 1up to world No1 Scheffler during USA’s attempted unbelievable comeback.
But clutch halves from Shane Lowry, Tyrrell Hatton and Robert MacIntyre ensured Europe clung on and clinched a famous victory – with fantastic McIlroy rightly at the heart of it, on and off the course.
As if that wasn’t enough for the year, McIlroy then added a seventh Race to Dubai title on the DP World Tour, overtaking Seve Ballesteros and moving within one of Colin Montgomerie.
He may have lost out on a play-off to Fitzpatrick at the DP World Tour Championship – forced by another eagle on the 18th green took him.
But while best-golfer-on-the-planet Scheffler won two majors and remained world No1 and breakout star Spaun triumphed at the US Open, 2025 belonged to world No2 McIlroy.
For 11 years, he arrived at Augusta knowing he was four rounds from sporting immortality.
For 13 years, he dreamed of sticking it to the Yanks in their own backyard again.
And in the year 2025, he achieved both.
And in the year 2025, Rory McIlroy rightly became just the third golfer to be crowned BBC Sports Personality of the Year after fellow Ryder Cup legend Dai Rees in 1957 and Nick Faldo in 1989 when he also won his first Masters.
All that’s left for McIlroy is: “Arise, Sir Rory.”
