“I bring Northern Ireland with me everywhere” – McIlroy wins BBC NI Sports Personality of the Year

BBC Sport NI’s Stephen Watson, left, presents Rory McIlroy with the BBC Northern Ireland Sports Personality of the Year award for 2025

Masters Champion Rory McIlroy has been named BBC Northern Ireland Sports Personality of the Year for 2025, capping a remarkable season that has already secured his place among golf’s all-time greats.

The Holywood man enjoyed a year for the ages, headlined by a dramatic play-off victory at the Masters in Augusta in April. That win saw McIlroy become only the sixth man in history – and the first European – to complete golf’s Grand Slam, a feat long regarded as one of the sport’s ultimate achievements.

McIlroy’s impact extended well beyond Augusta. He played a pivotal role in helping Europe retain the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black in September, once again underlining his importance on the biggest stages in world golf.

It was an outstanding year by any measure. The world number two also claimed further play-off victories at the Irish Open at the K Club, The Players Championship, and the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, before finishing the season with his seventh Race to Dubai title.

The 35-year-old’s success has already been recognised on the wider sporting stage, having clinched the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award last week.

His latest honour adds to an impressive record at home, with this year’s win marking his fourth BBC Northern Ireland Sports Personality of the Year title, following his last success in 2014.

Receiving the award, McIlroy paid tribute to the support he has received throughout his career, saying:

“I just want to say thank you to everyone from Northern Ireland for supporting me and believing in me, and being on this journey with me, I feel like everyone’s watched me grow up. I’ll always love coming home, I don’t get back as often as I would like, and I feel like I bring Northern Ireland with me everywhere that I go.”

BBC Sport NI Executive Editor Neil Brittain said the judging panel had once again faced a difficult decision, given the depth of sporting talent across the region, but said McIlroy’s achievements were impossible to overlook.

He said:

“Every year when the judges get together to go through the possible winners, we are amazed by the breadth of world class sporting talent we have in Northern Ireland and by their achievements across the previous 12 months. And, as always, it makes selecting one winner really difficult. But, it’s impossible to look past what Rory has achieved this year – securing that illusive Grand Slam and his place as one of golf’s greatest ever and then helping Europe retain the Ryder Cup.

“Congratulations to Rory and we’re looking forward to seeing him back in action in 2026.”

McIlroy was voted overall winner ahead of a strong field of local sporting stars, including World Championship silver medallist Kate O’Connor, IBF welterweight champion Lewis Crocker, Isle of Man TT legend Michael Dunlop, who holds a record 33 wins, and Liverpool right-back and Northern Ireland men’s captain Conor Bradley.

The judging panel for the 2025 awards comprised former All-Ireland Senior Football Championship winner Oisín McConville; four-time Paralympic champion Michael McKillop; former Northern Ireland international Julie Nelson; Ireland hockey’s record cap holder Shirley McCay; Neil Brittain, Executive Editor BBC Sport NI; and BBC Sport NI football commentator Thomas Kane.

For McIlroy, the award represents more than personal success. It reflects a journey that has been closely followed and proudly shared by supporters at home, as one of Northern Ireland’s most celebrated sporting figures continues to inspire on the global stage.