Rory McIlroy became the primary golfer to win back-to-back green jackets at The Masters since 2002 on Sunday, April 12, however the native of Northern Ireland continues to be waiting to receive the final word honor.
After he was snubbed last yr, fans are again calling for McIlroy, 36, to be knighted after he held off Scottie Scheffler to successfully defend his title at Augusta National.
McIlroy, who in 2025 became the primary European player to win all 4 of golf’s majors, was denied knighthood last yr after intervention from tax officials, based on the Day by day Telegraph.
United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer has said he won’t intervene in the choice and can leave such matters to the UK’s Honours Committee.
“We never comment on honours, and that could be a query for the committee not for me,” Starmer, 63, told reporters through a spokesperson, based on the Telegraph. “But, clearly, it’s a incredible result for Rory McIlroy, tremendous achievement and an enormous, huge achievement to have done it in successive years.”
Honours committees are made up of senior civil servants and independent government officials who determine those deserving of recognition in a wide range of fields, including sport, science and technology, public service and education.
Twice per yr, committee members submit recommendations to the monarchy for special honors including knighthood and the Order of the British Empire.
McIlroy has opened up prior to now about the potential of being knighted, telling Sky Sports in November 2025 that, “If that were ever to occur it could be an unbelievably massive honour.”
It’s a practice on the Masters that players sign the enduring yellow flags emblazoned with the tournament logo — but only the champion signs their name contained in the outline of america that appears in the middle. Rory McIlroy has been waiting some time to have the ability to do this, and he’s taking every […]
“That’s obviously as much as people quite a bit more powerful and essential than me,” he said. “But, I mean, if it were to occur in the future, it could be a really proud moment in my life.”
Despite speculation, the character of his possible tax issues — if there are any — haven’t been confirmed. In 2015, the UK’s revenue and customs department investigated McIlroy into investments he made that would have been a tax avoidance scheme.
Those investments were right into a program meant to revitalize parts of Liverpool, Birmingham and Sheffield, which might allow investors to assert as much as one hundred pc tax relief. Nothing illegal was ever uncovered and no evidence has emerged that McIlroy was attempting to avoid paying taxes.
The Telegraph reports that one government source compared McIlroy’s snub to that of David Beckham, whose knighthood was blocked for years after a “red flag” was placed on his nomination attributable to his alleged role in a tax avoidance scheme.
Beckham, 50, was finally knighted in November 2025.
Though McIlroy continues to be waiting to receive the consideration, the UK government has not ignored his historic win entirely. The Royal Family posted a congratulatory message to him via X on Monday, April 13.
“Congratulations Rory McIlroy in your extraordinary back-to-back win on the Masters,” the post read.