Despite historic successes in 2025, Rory McIlroy is missing from the New Year’s Honours List due to an ongoing HMRC tax investigation.
Northern Irish golfer Rory McIlroy was considered a likely candidate for knighthood by King Charles III alongside Tommy Fleetwood and Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald from England, but all three golfers were excluded this year. In 2025, McIlroy completed his career Grand Slam by winning the Masters, becoming the first European to do so. He also shone at the 2025 Ryder Cup, helping Team Europe secure their first away victory since 2012 at Bethpage State Park near New York City.
However, McIlroy’s name was absent from the list of 1,157 honorees on the New Year’s Honours List, which undergoes review by the Cabinet Office and then His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) before final approval by the Prime Minister and monarch. According to a Telegraph report, HMRC reportedly intervened, similar to the delay faced by footballer David Beckham years ago when receiving a knighthood.
Did Rory McIlroy Deliberately Avoid Tax Payments?
Recently named BBC Sports Personality of the Year, McIlroy was involved in urban renewal projects in Liverpool, Birmingham, and Sheffield back in 2013, which were initially considered legal tax reliefs by the authorities. Later, HMRC reclassified these as tax avoidance and is currently investigating whether these projects exploited the ‘Business Premises Renovation Allowance’ scheme to deliberately evade taxes. So far, there is no evidence that McIlroy intended to avoid paying taxes.
Since HMRC plays a role in decisions surrounding knighthoods, such investigations can lead to a rejection of the honour. Neither McIlroy nor the British government has commented on the matter so far.