Sports Personality of the Year Betting Odds: Grand Slam Makes McIlroy Favourite
Will Jackson 
Rory McIlroy has been installed as heavy favourite to be crowned BBC Sports Personality of the Year after his dramatic win in the Masters on Sunday night.
After 11 attempts at completing the career Grand Slam - he becomes only the sixth man to win all four major titles, and the first since Tiger Woods in 2000 - he finally claimed the green jacket after a tense day at Augusta National.
After edging out Ryder Cup teammate Justin Rose in a sudden death play-off, McIlroy has now been made favourite with online betting sites be crowned Sports Personality of the Year at the BBC's annual event.
We've had a look at the online odds and who the runners and riders are for the gong.
Rory McIlroy
After years of near misses and agonising collapses, McIlroy achieved what felt like his destiny on Sunday night when he sunk a putt on the 18th at Augusta to finally see off Justin Rose and claim his fifth major win.
He joins a very illustrious group of golfers to have completed the career Grand Slam - only Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods had done it before him - and thus cementing his legacy as an all-time British sporting great.
It ended years of torment for McIlroy, who had famously collapsed on the final day in 2011 and endured a number of near misses while also going on a barren run without a major win that stretched back to 2014.
With the monkey off his back, it would be no surprise to see him go on a run of major successes now but even if he does not, the scale of the achievement and dramatic circumstances in which he won - he twice gave up big leads on the final day before bouncing back each time - are sure to make him a favourite when it comes to voting.
With three majors still to play and aa Ryder Cup this year, McIlroy will feature very prominently in our golf betting tips for sure, and that should only enhance his credentials.
Luke Littler
In any other circumstances, an 18-year-old not just winning, but dominating a global tournament would be a shoo-in for the SPOTY crown, but that's the scale of what McIlroy has achieved.
Luke Littler looks set to dominate the world of darts for years to come, so he will feature prominently on this list for a long time, but winning the World Championship and then performing as he is doing in the Premier League Darts is a significant achievement that shouldn't be forgotten.
Week on week Littler is among the favourites in our darts betting tips, so you would expect him to wrap up the Premier League title but will that be enough?
He came second in SPOTY in 2024 after bursting onto the scene but finishing runner-up in the final of the worlds, so going one step further should ordinarily mean he is a dead cert - and that's before you realise he's a teenager!
The reality is though, that while darts is growing in popularity, it doesn't have as many opportunities to get the eyeballs on it as sports such as golf does, so there may not be much more Littler can do to enhance his claim.
Lando Norris
Such has been the dominance of Max Verstappen and Red Bull in recent years, that you almost write off any Formula 1 competitors before a race has been run, but that looks like changing in 2025.
Granted it is still early days, but four races into the season and Lando Norris is top of the Drivers Championship with one in and four podiums compared to one and two for Verstappen respectively.
Such has been McLaren's dominance at this stage of the season that Norris and Oscar Piastri are the two favourites to finish top at the end of the year, so Norris would appear to be a good candidate for SPOTY but he has a lot of competition.
Norris looks like he is the real deal and future winner of both the F1 Drivers Championship and SPOTY, but he will have to do something spectacular to overcome McIlroy this year.
Others
In terms of the rest of the people in the betting it's worth considering the sporting events to come this year and who could play a starring role that would capture the hearts of the public.
Jack Draper could be an interesting case to watch over the next few months with Wimbledon fast approaching.
The rangy left-hander made it through to the semi-finals of the US Open last year and is an established part of the world's top 10, so he should be a contender at all majors.
Wimbledon plays such a huge part in awards like SPOTY so Draper would have to win it to even push McIlroy close, but if he can then a podium place would be almost guaranteed.
We also have the Women's 2025 Euros, with England going in as defending champions. They may not quite be the same team they were when lifting the trophy last time round, but they have a very good chance of competing this summer.
The Lionesses have proved very popular with the public over the years with Beth Mead and Mary Earps winning SPOTY in 2022 and 2023 respectively, but it's a little harder to identify the potential winners in the current side.
Leah Williamson is the focal point of the squad, Lucy Bronze is a recognised figure at the highest level but could we see a Mead resurgence or someone else shoot to prominence?
A summer football success could potentially push McIlroy close, but it looks a longshot at this stage and with so many major events still to play in the golfing calendar.
Sports Personality of the Year Odds
