Despite historic achievements in 2025, Rory McIlroy is absent from the New Year’s Honours List due to an ongoing HMRC tax inquiry.
Northern Irish golfer Rory McIlroy was considered a favorite for knighthood alongside Tommy Fleetwood and Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald, also from England. However, none of the three golfers received the honor this year. In 2025, McIlroy completed a career Grand Slam with his Masters win, becoming the first European to do so. He also contributed to Europe’s first Ryder Cup away victory since 2012 at Bethpage State Park near New York City with the European team.
Despite these feats, McIlroy’s name did not appear among the 1,157 honorees on the New Year’s Honours List, which is first reviewed by the Cabinet Office and then by His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) before submission to the Prime Minister and Monarch. According to a report from the British Telegraph, HMRC intervened, similar to the delay experienced by footballer David Beckham in receiving a knighthood.
Did Rory McIlroy Avoid Tax Payments Deliberately?
Recently named BBC Sports Personality of the Year, McIlroy was involved in urban renewal projects in Liverpool, Birmingham, and Sheffield in 2013, regarded at the time as legitimate tax reliefs by authorities. HMRC later deemed these projects tax avoidance and is investigating whether the ‘Business Premises Renovation Allowance’ scheme was exploited to deliberately circumvent tax payments. Currently, there is no evidence suggesting McIlroy intended to avoid taxes.
Since HMRC plays a decisive role in knighthood decisions, such an ongoing investigation can result in refusal of the honor. Neither McIlroy nor the British government has commented on the matter so far.