Rory McIlroy has been named BBC Sports Personality of the Year following an historic year for the Northern Irishman.
The 36-year-old was in attendance at the prestigious ceremony in Salford, England, just one day after competing in the inaugural Golf Channel Games in Florida.
McIlroy was heavily favored to become the first golfer to win the award since Nick Faldo in 1989 and just the third in its 72-year history after Welsh golfer Dai Rees became the first, in 1957.
McIlroy was one of six nominees, the others being F1 star Lando Norris, England women’s soccer players Hannah Hampton and Chloe Kelly, England women’s rugby union star Ellie Kildunne and darts player Luke Littler.
However, despite each achieving incredible things in 2025, McIlroy won the public vote after a career-defining year that included completing the career Grand Slam at The Masters and helping Team Europe win the Ryder Cup on US soil for the first time since 2012.
McIlroy, who also won the Pebble Beach Pro-Am, The Players Championship, the Amgen Irish Open and the Race to Dubai title, was first named alongside Kildunne and Norris in the top three after a vote freeze.
After Kildunne was named runner-up by former soccer star Thierry Henry, confirmation came that McIlroy had beaten Norris to the award.
The winning moment for Rory McIlroy! 🎆 🏆He claims SPOTY 2025 to crown a golden year. 👏 pic.twitter.com/SATQvYYnomDecember 18, 2025
In his acceptance speech, McIlroy said: "First of all, I would like to congratulate all of the other finalists. I know how much hard work and dedication it takes, so it is a pleasure to just be in this room. 2025 has been the year I made my dreams come true."
"From Augusta to the Ryder Cup and everything else in between. It really has been the year that dreams are made of."
The BBC Sports Personality of the Year wasn't the only award McIlroy won at the ceremony. The Ryder Cup team was one of three on the shortlist for the Team of the Year, along with the England women's soccer team and the England women's rugby team.
However, Luke Donald's team got the vote, making it a double celebration for McIlroy, who accepted the award along with fellow Team Europe star Tommy Fleetwood.
Before winning the award, there was an emotional moment involving McIlroy when he was interviewed on stage. There, he paid tribute to the fathers of two of the victims of the 2024 Southport murders.
Sergio Aguiar and David Stancombe, whose daughters Alice and Elsie were among those killed in the attack, attended the ceremony, where they were presented with the Helen Rollason Award, which recognises outstanding achievement in the face of adversity.
McIlroy was asked about his own daughter, Poppy, by host Clare Balding, and his thoughts immediately turned to the fathers, who ran the London Marathon earlier in the year.
Appearing to fight back tears, McIlroy said: "Being a father of a little girl, Elsie and Alice's dads are absolute heroes."
On the rollercoaster ride of his Masters win, when he beat Justin Rose in a playoff, McIlroy told Balding: "I didn't make it easy. When you want something so much, the obstacle becomes yourself."
