Rory McIlroy reportedly skipped the BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year awards ceremony this week due to a ‘family event’.
Four of the six nominess for this year’s SPOTY ceremony were in attendance in Salford on Tuesday with Mary Earps being voted the winner ahead of Stuart Broad and Katarina Johnson-Thompson.
Wheelchair tennis star Alfie Hewett was also at the event, but neither Frankie Dettori or McIlroy were able to make it.
The horse racing icon did still speak at the event live via a video link and apologised for not being able to attend it in person.
Rory McIlroy was absent from the awards ceremony
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But McIlroy was unable to do the same with the Telegraph reporting he had a family event arranged in Florida.
The four-time major champion moved to the £8million mansion earlier this year after he married Erica Stoll.
No reason was given for McIlroy’s absence at the event in Salford though, with Tommy Fleetwood going on stage when the segment of the show focused on the golf star’s achievements in 2023.
The 34-year-old was not among the favourites to win the Sports Personality of the Year prize and finished outside of the top three in voting.
It’s the first time McIlroy has been nominated for the award since 2014 when he was on top of the world in golf.
He joined an illustrious list of golfers to win back-to-back majors before clinching the World Golf Championship and leading Team Europe to victory in the Ryder Cup on his way to securing the No 1 spot in the PGA Tour rankings.
Despite his achievements that year, McIlroy was pipped in voting by F1 superstar Lewis Hamilton, who had just won the second Drivers’ Championship title of his career.
This year may not have seen McIlroy reach those same heights, but he once again proved why he’s one of the world’s greatest golfers.
Tommy Fleetwood stepped in for Rory McIlroy
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The Northern Irishman was Team Europe’s leading points scorer at the Ryder Cup in Rome with four from a possible five.
He also posted an impressive 13 top-10 finishes on the PGA Tour and retained his Race to Dubai title for the fifth time.
Fleetwood was partnered with McIlroy at the 2023 Ryder Cup and praised his fellow Briton.
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“Rory is amazing,” Fleetwood said.
“I still feel like he’s the best player of our generation. I was so lucky to play with him. He sees shots we don’t see and try’s crazy things that he then pulls off.
“It’s an amazing opportunity to play with him and at the Ryder Cup he showed what a leader he is.”
