Rory McIlroy Snubbed From New Year’s Honours List

December 30, 2025

Five-time major champion Rory McIlroy has been snubbed from the New Year’s Honours list, despite winning the Masters and completing golf’s career Grand Slam.

The reason for McIlroy exemption is due to a tax-dodging investment dating back to 2015, according to reports.

Rory McIlroy Snubbed From New Year’s Honours List

Having won a fifth major championship, completed the career Grand Slam, won a seventh Race to Dubai title and won another few PGA Tour and European Tour titles, it’s fair to say that 2025 was a year to remember for Rory McIlroy.

Add to that the fact he played a major part in Team Europe’s Ryder Cup success in New York and helped Luke Donald and co win back-to-back biennial golf events against all odds.

Off the golf course, McIlroy became just the third golfer in history to win BBC Sports Personality of the Year while also being crowned the RTE Sportsperson of the Year for 2025 too.

McIlroy was also the second most googled athlete in 2025, further emphasising his popularity as one of golf’s greatest players and most popular figures since Tiger Woods.

Rory McIlroy's acceptance speech as he claims SPOTY 2025 🏆

Not a bad way to end the year… pic.twitter.com/n6LFayOEXB

— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) December 18, 2025

The Northern Irishman has had an exceptional year both on and off the golf course, which has been duly acknowledged by fans all over the world. However, McIlroy’s sensational year hasn’t been acknowledged in the latest New Year’s Honours list.

The 36-year-old is an eyebrow-raising omission from the honours list, despite all of his achievements and accolades this year.

The Holywood golfer was previously made an MBE after winning his first major in 2011, but hasn’t been recognised since with any further New Year’s Honours.

The exact reason for McIlroy’s omission is unknown, but some have pointed the finger at an investment the five-time major champion made over a decade ago as a potential reason.

RORY MCILROY 2025 MASTERS CHAMPION 🏆

(via @TheMasters)pic.twitter.com/YxDBqngteS

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) April 13, 2025

McIlroy New Year’s Honours Snubbing Stemmed From Historic ‘Tax-Dodging Investment’

Despite ending his major drought at Augusta in April before playing a pivotal role in helping Europe pull off an incredible Ryder Cup win on hostile American soil, Rory McIlroy has been sensationally snubbed from the New Year’s Honours list.

An exact reason for this has not been disclosed, but could well stem from an investment the Northern Irishman made back in 2015. According to reports, McIlroy’s omission is due to an investment which HMRC deemed to be tax avoidance.

McIlroy was one of several high-profile figures to have invested heavily into a programme to regenerate a run-down area of Liverpool’s city centre, as well as Sheffield and Birmingham.

In turn, McIlroy would be granted tax relief which HMRC believes to have been the purpose of his investment.

Career Grand Slam ✅
Away Ryder Cup ✅
SPOTY ✅

What a stunning 2025 for Rory McIlroy. He needs to find more space in that trophy cabinet! 🏆 pic.twitter.com/sn88uXgOrQ

— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) December 18, 2025

This intervention from tax officials is similar to that which saw Sir David Beckham repeatedly kept off the New Year’s Honours list until receiving his knighthood earlier this year.

As per Telegraph Sport, this is the reason for McIlroy’s snubbing. Although it isn’t exactly a good look for the world no.2 golfer, there has been no suggestion that McIlroy or his representative would have known about the scheme’s scope for exploitation of tax relief at the time.

Back on the golf course, McIlroy’s return is at the Dubai Invitational in mid-January, before teeing it up a week later at the Dubai Desert Classic.

The Northern Irishman will be hoping for another exceptional year with plenty more wins and perhaps even more major titles now he has ended his major championship drought.