Rory McIlroy and the 2025 European Ryder Cup team, led by captain Luke Donald, have been nominated for honours at the prestigious Laureus World Sports Awards.
McIlroy was awarded the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award at the ceremony in December after completing the Career Grand Slam by winning the Masters and playing a starring role under intense pressure at the Ryder Cup, along with winning the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, The Players Championship, and the Amgen Irish Open on home soil.
Now, he’s up for consideration for the Comeback Player of the Year award at the ceremony that will take place in Madrid on April 20, with England Women’s soccer player Leah Williamson, cyclists Simon Yates and Yulimar Rojas, triple jumper Yulimar Rojas and tennis star Amanda Anisimova providing the opposition.
The European Ryder Cup team, who were also honoured by the BBC as the Team of the Year back in December, are up for the same recognition from the Laureus Awards – an award that the European side also won back in 2013 after completing the ‘Miracle at Medinah’ success in 2012.
The India Women’s Cricket Team, Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain, and NBA champions Oklahoma City Thunder have also been nominated in the same category.
“Winning a Ryder Cup is special,” Donald said. “Winning one away from home is on a different level entirely. Going into New York, we understood exactly what was in front of us. An exceptionally strong US team, playing on home soil, backed by a passionate and vocal crowd.
“We knew the noise would be loud, the energy intense and the margins small. It was all of that – and more. Those are the moments when leadership truly matters.
“I was proud of how our experienced players stepped forward and set the tone. Just as proud of the younger guys who embraced the occasion and never flinched. They did not shrink from it – they grew into it.
“When Shane holed that putt to retain the trophy, and Tyrrell secured the half-point to win it outright, there was an overwhelming sense of collective achievement.
“Not relief – belief. It was the culmination of preparation, trust and a shared purpose. A true team effort in every sense. I was fortunate to be part of the Miracle of Medinah team in 2012, and to receive the Laureus Team of the Year award in 2013 was incredibly special.
“To be considered for a Laureus award again, after what this group achieved together in New York, is a real honour.”
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