Rory McIlroy’s teary SPOTY speech puts ‘dream’ year in perspective

The Masters wasn’t the only elusive honor Rory McIlroy was chasing in 2025 — nor is it the only one he’s now won.

McIlroy was awarded the BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year on Thursday, an honor voted on by fans and bestowed upon the U.K. sportsperson who has made the greatest impact in the preceding year.

McIlroy — and the sport of golf — have had a complex relationship with the award; despite the U.K.’s prodigious golfing culture, entering this year’s awards just two golfers had won in its 70-year history, and McIlroy had suffered a couple different high-profile snubs.

But his emotional acceptance of the 2025 award made that feel like water under the bridge. This was a chance for McIlroy to reflect on arguably the most meaningful year of his storied career, a decade of ups and downs be damned.

“Wow,” McIlroy said as he took the stage. “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. I feel truly honored to just be a part of it.

“2025 has been the year I made my dreams come true. From Augusta to the Ryder Cup and everything in between. It’s the year dreams are made of.”

Reflecting on a year in which McIlroy laid out his ambitious goals — win at golf’s greatest venues, win meaningful tournaments, win a major, win the Masters, win an away Ryder Cup — and then ticked those off one after the next, he led with gratitude for those closest to him.

“I have a lot of people to thank,” said McIlroy. “Firstly, the public, my family, my mum and my dad. They sacrificed so much for me. I wouldn’t be here without them, so thank you.

“My wife Erica and my daughter Poppy, they are what holds me together. My rock. They couldn’t be here tonight but I can’t wait to get back tomorrow and celebrate this with them. I love you.

“And to the BBC for hosting these awards. It has always been something growing up that I watched on TV.

“It was always a big part of the run-up to Christmas, so I am very honored to get my hands on this trophy.

“Hopefully I can challenge to get it again next year.”

‘Absolute heroes’

McIlroy also took a moment to acknowledge fathers of two of the victims of last year’s tragic Southport attack. Sergio Aguiar, who lost his nine-year-old daughter Alice, and David Stancombe, who lost his seven-year-old daughter Elsie, ran this year’s London Marathon and received the Helen Rollason Award, which honors outstanding achievement in the face of adversity.

“Being a father of a little girl, Elsie and Alice’s dads are absolute heroes,” McIlroy told presenter Clare Balding, tearing up.

Aguiar used his marathon run to raise funds for a new playground at Alice’s school, Churchtown Primary School. Stancombe ran for Elsie’s Story, the charity founded in her honor.

“I’m very grateful to accept the award tonight but I’m just a dad keeping a promise to his little girl,” Stancombe said in an emotional acceptance. “Elsie wanted me to run the London Marathon and I did. It gave me a massive focus through the hardest time I’ve ever lived through.”

Aguiar said he wanted spread Alice’s magic across the world.

“I want to dedicate this award to our three girls: Alice, Elsie and Bebe,” he said. “Keep dancing.”

The magnitude of the evening had McIlroy feeling reflective and grateful.

“Being a dad makes the losses easier, but it makes the good moments even more special, and to share that with Erika and Poppy — my whole family have gone through this, and I could feel everyone with me that day [at Augusta].”

Accepting Personality of the Year was actually McIlroy’s second trip to the stage on Thursday; he and Tommy Fleetwood accepted the European Ryder Cup’s award for Team of the Year, edging out England’s Euro 2025-winning women’s soccer team and England’s Women’s Rugby World Cup champions.

“As a lot of other sports people in this room know, it’s an honor to be a part of these teams,” McIlroy said. “I want to say congratulations to the England Women’s football team and the Red Roses too, what you have done this year has been absolutely amazing.

“We’re up here as two of the 12 players. We also had the captain, vice captain and all of the backroom team ± we could not have done what we did without all of them. Everyone watching at home, thank you so much.”

McIlroy is the third golfer (after Dai Rees in 1957 and Nick Faldo in 1989) and the third Northern Irishman (after boxer Barry McGuigan in 1985 and jockey Sir AP McCoy in 2010) to win Personality of the Year. He beat out five other finalists, with England’s rugby union player Ellie Kildunne coming second and Formula 1 driver Lando Norris in third.