Rory McIlroy has been revealed as one of six sportspeople to have been shortlisted for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2023.
In a year where he won just two tournaments, both of them on the much-depleted DP World Tour, the world’s second highest ranked golfer must have been a bit surprised to find his name on a list that also includes cricketer Stuart Broad and jockey Frankie Dettori, two titans of their respective sports that bowed out this year after registering some of the best performances of their careers.
Still, it’s a measure of McIlroy’s high bar that a season that saw him win four out of five points in Europe’s Ryder Cup victory in Rome, bag an impressive 13 top-10 finishes in 18 starts on the PGA TOUR, along with those victories in the Scottish Open and the Dubai Desert Classic, and a record fifth DP World Tour Race to Dubai title, should be regarded as unremarkable, but I doubt even he would put himself in the company of the other two aforementioned stars, especially when it comes to the loose definition of ‘personality’.
Back in 2014, a year in which he was world no.1 and had won both The Open Championship and the PGA Championship, and won 3 points in Europe’s Ryder Cup victory at Gleneagles, McIlroy still lost out to Lewis Hamilton for the award, so his chances of bagging the top gong this time around are slim to none, but golf fans will be happy to see the sport at least represented, especially in a year when most of the talk has been about what’s been taking place off the golf course rather than on it.
If you would like to give Rory your vote, or perhaps one of the other five candidates below, votes can be cast by phone or online on the evening of December 19, when the BBC Sports Personality of the Year will be live on BBC1 from 7pm. The number to call for each contender will be revealed during the programme.
2023 BBC Sports Personality of the Year Shortlist
Stuart Broad (Cricket)
Frankie Dettori (Horse Racing)
Mary Earps (Football)
Alfie Hewett (Wheelchair Tennis)
Katarina Johnson-Thompson (Athletics)
Rory Mcllroy (Golf)
Other SPOTY Awards
World Sport Star of the Year
Helen Rollason Award
Young Sports Personality of the Year
Unsung Hero
Coach of the Year
Team of the Year
Lifetime Achievement award
