WATCH: World No.2 Rory McIlroy Gets Emotional Following Tribute to Shooting Victims at Awards Show

Rory McIlroy would speak about the Southport attack victims last year at the BBC Sports Award show, and was moved to tears as he paid his tribute to them.

WATCH: World No.2 Rory McIlroy Gets Emotional Following Tribute to Shooting Victims at Awards Show

Rory McIlroy was trying to hold back tears when speaking about two shooting victims (Image via X/@BBCSport/Imago)

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It was an emotional night for Rory McIlroy on Thursday as he picked up another award. During the BBC Sports Award Show, the 5-time major champion was seen holding back tears and got emotional while giving a tribute to two shooting victims.

The 2025 Award show held a special segment in tribute to Sergio Aguiar and David Stancombe, who tragically lost their daughters Alice and Elsie, in the Southport attack last year.

After being named the BBC Sports Personality of the Year, McIlroy was asked about how much being a father affected his career. With the fathers of the two victims present at the show, the World No.2 would fight back tears while lauding the two fathers for their strength. He then spoke about his daughter, Poppy and his wife, Erica Stoll.

I think being a father of a little girl, seeing Alice and Elsie’s dad up there tonight, they are two absolute heroes. You know, being a dad, it makes the losses a lot easier. But it also makes the good moment even more special, you know? So to share that with Erica and Poppy, you know, and my whole family. They’ve watched me go through all of this, just like, you know, I’m sure a lot of the public has, and I feel like everyone’s been on this journey with me.

Rory McIlroy said at the BBC Sports Awards Show

The two fathers were also awarded the Helen Rollason award. They would compete in the London Marathon this year in memory of their daughters.

Rory McIlroy finishes 2025 with another golden crown

The year 2025 will go down as the probably one of the best years in Rory McIlroy’s career. On Thursday, he capped off this year with another golden crown as he won the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award.

Rory McIlroy
Rory McIlroy (Image via BBC)

McIlroy started off the year in strong fashion as he won in his first start on the PGA Tour this year at the AT&T Pebble Beach in February. His winning run then continued in March next month.

Following an intense battle during a weather-affected final round on Sunday, McIlroy took down J.J. Spaun in the playoff round at The Players Championship on Monday. He thus became the 8th player in history to win this tournament twice.

It was in April when McIlroy got the biggest win of his career. After a poor start, the Northern Irish golfer dialed in and found himself in contention at the Masters Tournament on Sunday.

In a frantic final round, the 36-year-old would miss a close range putt on the final hole which forced a playoff round against Justin Rose. After all this years, luck finally favored him in this tournament as he edged out the Englishmen in the playoff round to emerge as the winner.

The win not only saw him claim his maiden Masters title, but also saw him complete the career grand slam. He became just the 6th player in golf history to win all 4 major championships.

While his form did dip a bit after this, he got back to his best in his National Open just weeks before the Ryder Cup. The crowd favorite overcame Joakim Lagergren in another playoff round to win the Irish Open.

He then headed to New York for the Ryder Cup. Despite extreme backlash from the crowd, the former World No.1 kept his cool and silenced the fans through his play. He earned 3.5 points from his 5 matches and led Team Europe to back-to-back wins against Team USA.

McIlroy then picked up his 7th Race to Dubai title, surpassing his idol Seve Ballesteros. He is now just the third golfer after Dai Rees (1957) and Sir Nick Faldo (1989) to win the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award. He edged out Ellie Kildunne, England’s Women’s Rugby World Cup winner, for this honor.

The one award that probably got away from him was the PGA Tour Player of the Year Award. Despite these achievements, he lost that honor to World No.1 Scottie Scheffler, who won 6 times this year, which included 2 major wins. Scheffler thus became the second golfer, after Tiger Woods, to win this award in 4 or more successive seasons.

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