The golfer is the bookies’ favourite to be named this year’s BBC Sports Personality of the Year
19:41, 18 Dec 2025
McIlroy and Stoll have been married since 2017
Rory McIlroy is the bookies’ favourite to be named this year’s BBC Sports Personality of the Year after a memorable 2025 saw him achieve his dream of winning The Masters.
The 36-year-old golfer became just the sixth man ever to achieve a career Grand Slam by winning the Masters, US Open, The Open and PGA Championship, after beating Justin Rose in a nail-biting play-off at Augusta in April. Now, he looks set to add another trophy to his collection having been named on the shortlist for this year’s SPOTY award.
McIlroy is one of six nominees for this year’s award, having been shortlisted alongside F1 champion Lando Norris, darts sensation Luke Littler and England Rugby World Cup winner Ellie Kildunne, as well as Euros-winning Lionesses Chloe Kelly and Hannah Hampton.
The nomination comes despite the Northern Irishman snubbing the annual awards for more than a decade, and slamming it as a “popularity contest” earlier this year. He has been nominated for the top prize on more than one occasion, and as recently as 2023, but hasn’t attended the ceremony since 2014, when he finished as runner-up to Lewis Hamilton.
In January, he even claimed he had “forgotten” he was nominated for the award in the past but, with bookmakers having him as the favourite to win, McIlroy now appears to have had a change of heart and has confirmed he will attend Thursday night’s awards in Salford.
It is not the first time that the golf star has made a U-turn on a decision, however, having also had a very public change of heart in his relationship with his wife, Erica Stoll, who he married in 2017.
Last year, the couple – who share daughter Poppy together – looked set to split when McIlroy applied for divorce after winning on the PGA Tour in May.
However, just a month later, he reversed his decision and, to this day, remains married to Stoll. He told The Guardian at the time: “There have been rumours about my personal life recently, which is unfortunate. Responding to each rumour is a fool’s game.
“Over the past weeks, Erica and I have realised that our best future was as a family together. Thankfully, we have resolved our differences and look forward to a new beginning.”
McIlroy was supported by his wife and daughter as he won The Masters earlier this year
Since then, the couple appear stronger than ever, with Stoll cheering him on at major tournaments, despite being targeted with vile abuse and heckling by American fans during this year’s Ryder Cup, for which an apology was later issued.
Together, they share an eye-watering fortune, with McIlroy alone accumulating an incredible net worth estimated to be around £225 million, as reported by the Sunday Times Rich List. This staggering amount makes him the 13th richest person under the age of 40 in the UK, with his earnings from golf alone believed to be in the region of £140 million.
Even before his highly-publicised relationship with Stoll, the golf star was no stranger to high-profile relationships, having once been engaged to former tennis champion Caroline Wozniacki.
After dating for three years, they announced their engagement in December 2013, but McIlroy later called it off, with The Times reporting that he did so via a brutal three-minute phone call.
The decision was so abrupt that a blindsided Wozniacki initially believed he was joking, as they had reportedly just sent off invitations to their wedding.
In an interview with the Irish Independent, McIlroy reflected on the relationship and said: “I thought at the time that being with someone that was in a similar position to you was the obvious answer.
“But it isn’t, because you can never get away from it. You can never detach yourself and try to come back to the real world.”
After splitting from Wozniacki, McIlroy was also romantically linked with Meghan Markle, having struck up a close friendship with the future Duchess of Sussex. However, while there were reports of the pair going out for dinner and drinks in New York and Dublin, they were never more than just good friends.
