Despite historic achievements in 2025, Rory McIlroy is missing from the New Year’s Honours List due to an ongoing HMRC tax review.
Northern Irish golfer Rory McIlroy was considered a frontrunner for knighthood by King Charles III alongside Tommy Fleetwood and Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald, both from England. Yet, all three golfers were omitted from this year’s list. In 2025, McIlroy completed his career Grand Slam by winning the Masters, becoming the first European to do so. He also played a key role in Europe’s Ryder Cup 2025 victory at Bethpage State Park near New York City, securing the team’s first away win since 2012.
Despite these accomplishments, McIlroy’s name was absent from the 1,157 honorees on the New Year’s Honours List, which undergoes review by the Cabinet Office and His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) before submission to the Prime Minister and monarch. According to a report by the UK Telegraph, HMRC intervened in the process, similar to the previous knighthood delay involving footballer David Beckham, who also waited years for his honor.
Did Rory McIlroy Deliberately Avoid Taxes?
McIlroy, recently named BBC Sports Personality of the Year, was reportedly involved in urban renewal projects in Liverpool, Birmingham, and Sheffield in 2013 that qualified for legal tax relief and were initially approved by authorities. Later, HMRC determined these projects constituted tax avoidance and is investigating whether the schemes exploited the ‘Business Premises Renovation Allowance’ to deliberately evade taxes. However, there is currently no evidence that McIlroy intended to avoid paying taxes.
Because HMRC has input on knighthood decisions, this ongoing investigation may have led to McIlroy being passed over for the honor. Neither McIlroy nor the UK government have commented on the matter so far.