Masters champion Rory McIlroy posts video message after winning yet another award

Two-time Masters champion Rory McIlroy paid tribute to his sporting heroes after he was named the recipient of yet another award for his triumph at Augusta National two years ago. 

The Northern Irishman, 36, was honoured at the Laureus awards in Madrid on Monday evening. 

He was named the recipient of the Comeback of the Year award after winning his first Masters title in 2025. 

It was a victory that McIlroy had been chasing for the entirety of his professional career and saw him become only the sixth male golfer in history to complete the career grand slam alongside Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan and Gary Player. 

He beat his Ryder Cup teammate, Justin Rose, in a playoff and successfully defended his green jacket earlier in the month with a one-shot victory over world number Scottie Scheffler. 

"There are certain moments in your career that stay with you, and winning the Masters is one I'll carry with me forever. To then have a year like that recognised by Laureus is very special," McIlroy said.

"Completing the career Grand Slam was incredibly emotional. It's something I've been chasing for a long time, and it probably means more because of everything that came before it - the near misses, the setbacks, and the questions along the way."

McIlroy added that he was inspired by other athletes who were in the later stages of their playing careers. 

"I've certainly gotten a lot of inspiration from other athletes - athletes that are maybe at the back end of their careers and still being able to achieve these great things," McIlroy said. 

"I think of Novak [Djokovic] and Rodger [Federer] and Rafa [Rafael Nadal] in tennis. 

"Or I look at [Lionel] Messi, [Cristiano] Ronaldo in soccer. I look at Tom Brady in American football. 

"I'm certainly older than I once was, and I think to take inspiration from those guys and what they were able to achieve later into their careers always gave me the belief that one day I'd be able to do it at Augusta."

McIlroy has won several awards since his first Masters triumph. 

Last December, the six-time major champion was voted BBC Sports Personality of the Year. 

It was the first time a golfer had won the award since Sir Nick Faldo in 1989. 

Dai Rees (1957) is the only other golfer to win the award. 

Elsewhere, F1 star Lando Norris won the Breakthrough of the Year award after winning his maiden world championship title last season.