Rory McIlroy is now the odds-on favourite to win the 2025 BBC Sports Personality of the Year, after winning the Masters in dramatic fashion.
The Northern Irishman’s journey to finally winning the Masters at Augusta has been long and winding, with McIlroy himself describing it as ’14 years in the making’, after he’d previously let a four-shot lead slip in the final round at the 2011 event.
It looked like it could be another case of so near and yet so far after a missed putt on the 18th and final hole saw McIlroy initially fail to close out the tournament. A sudden death play-off with England’s Justin Rose followed, but it was Rory who ultimately came out on top.
The victory was McIlroy’s fifth major in total, but his first since 2014, and it means he finally joins the golfing greats who have previously completed a golf grand slam, namely Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods.
Latest Sports Personality of the Year betting odds
| Sports Personality | Odds | Implied Probability |
| Rory McIlroy | 8/13 | 62% |
| Luke Littler | 7/2 | 22% |
| Lando Norris | 13/2 | 13% |
| Jack Draper | 25/1 | 3.8% |
| Ellie Kildunne | 28/1 | 3.4% |
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McIlroy’s achievement has also seen his odds to win the BBC Sports Personality of the Year slashed. He is a former runner-up, second to Lewis Hamilton in 2014, but the latest betting sees him leapfrog his rivals to head the betting.
McIlroy began The Masters as a 20/1 to win the Sports Personality award, but he is now no bigger than 8/13. That puts him just ahead of darts prodigy Luke Littler, Formula One Drivers Championship leader Lando Norris and tennis star and Indian Wells winner Jack Draper.
Of course, there is still plenty of sporting action to come in 2025 which will determine who’ll ultimately win the award. Lando Norris must fend off competition from the likes of teammate Oscar Piastri, and former F1 champions Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton. Jack Draper, now up to number six in the latest ATP tennis rankings, still has three grand slams to target. While Ellie Kildunne is likely to be a key part of the England Women’s rugby union team that are expected to go deep in the World Cup that the BBC will screen live later this year.
But it’s McIlroy who has laid down a marker that few will be able to usurp, and so his short odds appear justified despite well over half a year of sporting drama still to play out.
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