Rory McIlroy, the World No. 2, was shortlisted for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year following an exceptional year in golf as a whole and at Rome. But the Irishman seemed to skip the ceremony, with Tommy Fleetwood filling in for him. McIlroy didn’t state any reason for his absence. He also didn’t end up winning the title anyway.
English soccer goalkeeper Mary Earps was bestowed with the honor followed by cricket bowler Stuart Broad, who sealed in the second place. Commonwealth champion Katarina Johnson-Thompson came in third. Rory never managed to bag the title and only reached the runner-up place in 2014, where Lewis Hamilton was the winner. Nonetheless, his 2023 nomination was due to his stellar performance throughout the season.
Rory McIlroy and His Exceptional Year in Professional Golf
McIlroy secured victory at the Dubai Desert Classic with an outstanding performance over four days. His scores were 66-70-65-68. He clinched his next triumph at the Genesis Scottish Open with a 15-under-265. He even bagged a hefty winner’s payout of $1,575,000 from the Renaissance Club.
However, the most significant contribution McIlroy made was at Marco Simone for the Ryder Cup, where he helped his squad come out victorious. The European team’s score stood at 16.5-11.5, and for McIlroy, this feat was much needed after the defeat at Whistling Straits.
“It means an awful lot [to win]. I was so disappointed after Whistling Straits, we all were, and we wanted to come here to Rome this year and redeem ourselves a bit.”
Then, he ended his season with the fifth Race to Dubai title in November and also won the Player Impact Program title which helped him grab a whopping $15 million as bonus.
Apart from these, the inclusion of golf was necessary in the ceremony, given that golf didn’t find much recognition in the BBC Sports Personality of the Year. Until now, only two golfers have managed to win the award. Dai Rees won the first in 1957 after helping Britain’s Ryder Cup team. Then came Sir Nick Faldo, who was honored for his Masters Tournament win in 1989.
The voting for the prestigious award was conducted through the public’s judgement, and it was live on Tuesday. Perhaps McIlroy missed out on the honor this year but might secure a win in 2024!
