Which Golfers Have Won The BBC Sports Personality Of The Year Award?

Nick Faldo with the trophies he won in 1989.

The BBC Sports Personality of the Year award, perhaps Britain’s best known sports award, is handed out every year to a British sportsperson, based on a public vote.

Rory McIlroy was one of six athletes nominated for the award this year, alongside Mary Earps (football), Stuart Broad (cricket), Frankie Dettori (racing), Katarina Johnson-Thompson (athletics) and Alfie Hewett (tennis).

Only two golfers have won the award in its 69-year history.

Welsh golfer Dai Rees was the first in 1957, following Great Britain’s triumph in the Ryder Cup - where they won for the first time in 24 years.

Great Britain's 1957 Ryder Cup captain Dai Rees was the first golfer to win the award (Image credit: Getty Images)

Nick Faldo won the award in 1989 after he claimed his second Major and first of three Masters titles. Faldo also won the Volvo PGA Championship, British Masters, French Open and World Match Play Championship in 1989.

McIlroy is once again nominated after finishing second in votes for the award in 2014 despite winning two Majors, a WGC, the BMW PGA Championship and the Ryder Cup.

One of his many highlights this year included a fifth Ryder Cup, where he helped guide Team Europe to a 16.5-11.5 victory over Team USA, with an individual record of four wins and one loss during the event - his best ever performance in the biennial Europe vs USA match.

McIlroy won his fifth Race to Dubai title in another successful year (Image credit: Getty Images)

McIlroy also won twice in 2023 at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic and Genesis Scottish Open, while claiming three top 10s in the Majors including a solo-second at the US Open where he finished one shot behind winner Wyndham Clark.

Off the course, the 34-year-old took on the role of outspoken leader and elder statesman of the sport amid golf's contentious PGA Tour-LIV Golf civil war in 2023. He stepped down from the PGA Tour's board, though, so will likely have more focus on the course in 2024 where he looks to end his Major drought - which spans back to the 2014 PGA Championship.

McIlroy is an outsider with the bookies to receive the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award this year, with Lionesses goalkeeper Mary Earps the favourite after England reached the Women’s World Cup final for the first time.