Despite historic successes in 2025, Rory McIlroy is absent from the New Year’s Honours List due to an ongoing HMRC tax investigation.
North Irish golfer Rory McIlroy was considered a favorite for knighthood alongside Tommy Fleetwood and Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald, both from England. However, all three golfers were excluded this year. In 2025, McIlroy completed his career Grand Slam with a Masters victory, becoming the first European to do so. He also shone at the 2025 Ryder Cup, helping Team Europe secure their first away win since 2012 at Bethpage State Park near New York City.
Despite these achievements, McIlroy’s name was not among the 1,157 honorees on the New Year’s Honours List, which is reviewed first by the Cabinet Office and then by His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) before submission to the Prime Minister and the monarch. According to a report from The Telegraph, the HMRC intervened, similarly to when footballer David Beckham waited years to receive his knighthood.
Did Rory McIlroy Intentionally Avoid Taxes?
Recently named BBC Sports Personality of the Year, McIlroy was involved in urban regeneration projects in Liverpool, Birmingham, and Sheffield in 2013. These projects were initially classified as legal tax relief schemes by authorities. However, the HMRC later determined these to be tax avoidance and is currently investigating whether the projects exploited the “Business Premises Renovation Allowance” program to deliberately evade taxes. To date, there is no evidence McIlroy intended to avoid paying taxes.
As HMRC has a role in knighthood decisions, such an investigation can lead to rejection. Neither McIlroy nor the British government has commented on the matter so far.