Rory McIlroy to Attend Spoty Awards After a Decade
Masters champion Rory McIlroy has confirmed he will attend next month’s Sports Personality of the Year awards for the first time in over ten years. The golfer hopes his participation will help end golf’s 36-year absence from victory at the BBC event.
McIlroy, who controversially finished second to Lewis Hamilton in 2014 despite achieving back-to-back major wins, said he was persuaded that the renewed exposure could benefit the game in the UK.
“Yeah, the plan is to go,” McIlroy told Telegraph Sport at Yas Links on Wednesday. “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. I suppose if I don’t win it this time, I never will.”
The 36-year-old acknowledged with a smirk that he is unlikely to be the favorite. Yet, after clinching the Masters in April and becoming only the sixth player in history to complete the career grand slam, McIlroy’s presence is viewed as a significant moment for golf.
Bookmakers currently list footballer Chloe Kelly, who starred in England Women’s European Championship triumph, as the frontrunner for the award.
Author’s Summary
Rory McIlroy returns to the Spoty stage after a decade, aiming to boost golf’s profile and perhaps seize a long-awaited win in the BBC’s iconic awards show.