Rory McIlroy has spent years chasing golf’s most elusive milestones. This season, the chase ended at the 2025 Masters, as he completed his career Grand Slam. To make this season even more memorable for the Northern Irishman, something unexpected followed the iconic green jacket.

The Sports Journalists’ Association named Rory McIlroy the Sportsman of the Year at the 77th SJA British Sports Awards. This is his second victory, which came after an 11-year wait since his first triumph. The last time he won it was in 2014. He, along with his Ryder Cup team members, was also in contention to win the Team of the Year prize. However, he was denied a rare double at the SJA’s British Sports Awards. The recognition comes after an extraordinary 2025 campaign.

Sports Journalists shared the news on the X. “🏆 11 years on from his first SJA Sportsman of the Year success, Rory McIlroy has done it again at the SJA British Sports Awards The #RyderCup hero won a members’ vote, following his huge contribution to Europe’s victory and his U.S. Masters win #SJA2025 #SJABritishSportsAwards,” the post read.

Rory McIlroy’s season started with something he has waited to achieve since he turned pro in 2007. Since 2011, McIlroy has consistently come close to winning the Masters multiple times. But he never got his hands on the green jacket. It appeared challenging this year, too, until the very last moment. McIlroy finally beat Justin Rose in a playoff to win the tournament and complete his Grand Slam.

He was determined to get it. After winning the major, he even shared a message with his daughter about the same. “The one thing I would say to my daughter Poppy is never give up on your dreams. Keep coming back, keep working hard, and if you put your mind to it, you can do anything,” McIlroy said after his Masters win. He then thrilled the home crowd by winning the Amgen Irish Open.

Rory McIlroy’s performance at the 2025 Ryder Cup only cemented his chance of winning the BBC Sports Personality of the Year (SPOTY) Award. The Northern Irishman earned valuable 3 1/2 points at Bethpage Black to help his team win the Ryder Cup on foreign soil for the first time since 2012. It was not just McIlroy; the Ryder Cup helped European captain Luke Donald secure an award, too. Donald won the Services to Sport off the field of play at the SJA British Sports Awards.

McIlroy has been nominated multiple times since his 2014 win. However, his perception of the award has changed over years. “Whenever I saw the results, I forgot I was nominated,” he said in January 2024. “So that’s how much I think about it. It’s a popularity contest. It’s not what it once was,” the 2025 Irish Open champion said.

The Northern Irishman was hoping to win this year. In fact, he even said that if he doesn’t win it this year, he may not win it ever again. “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,” McIlroy told The Telegraph about attending SPOTY. “I suppose if I don’t win it this time, I never will.”

The award comes from a membership vote of the Sports Journalists’ Association. It highlights McIlroy’s stature in British sport after a year of both individual and team triumphs. This is not just it for the most recent green jacket winner. The DP World Tour has also honored him with a new award named after him.

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The Rory McIlroy Award

The Rory McIlroy Award will be presented annually starting from the 2026 season. It recognizes the DP World Tour player who performs the best across all four major championships in a single season: The Masters, US PGA Championship, US Open, and The Open. Officials determine the winner by calculating who earns the most Race to Dubai points across the four majors.

Ironically, Rory McIlroy himself is ineligible to win this award. If he finishes with the most points in a given season, the award goes to the next-highest points earner. This award celebrates McIlroy’s historic achievement as the first European golfer to complete the career Grand Slam, earning him recognition as one of golf’s greatest players.

McIlroy expressed that it is a huge honor and very humbling to have an award named after him that will inspire future generations. The Rory McIlroy Award joins four other prestigious DP World Tour annual awards named after legendary players, such as the Seve Ballesteros Award, the Harry Vardon Trophy, the Sir Henry Cotton Award, and the John Jacobs Trophy. Organizers announced the creation of the award at the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai at the end of the 2025 season, where McIlroy was chasing his seventh Race to Dubai title.