Rory McIlroy nominated for BBC Sports Personality of the Year award

McIlroy was Europe’s top-scorer, winning four out of five matches, as the team bounced back from their heaviest defeat to the United States in the 2021 to triumph in this year’s Ryder Cup – the fifth time he has won the event.

Four-time major champion McIlroy, 34, also registered 13 top-10 finishes on the PGA Tour in 2023, won the Scottish Open, retained the Race to Dubai and spent time in the world number one spot.

England goalkeeper Mary Earps is the bookmakers’ runaway favourite to succeed team-mate Beth Mead for the prestigious accolade.

The 30-year-old goalkeeper helped England reach the Women’s World Cup final in August, saving a penalty as they went down 1-0 to Spain. Earps was awarded the Golden Glove after keeping three clean sheets in the tournament.

The Manchester United star was named England women’s player of the year, came fifth in the voting for the 2023 Ballon d’Or Feminin – the highest-ever ranking for a goalkeeper – and kept a Women’s Super League record 14 clean sheets last season.

On Tuesday she was also named as one of three finalists for FIFA’s best women’s goalkeeper of the year – a trophy she won in 2022.

Earps is joined on the shortlist by retired cricketer Stuart Broad, former jockey Frankie Dettori, heptathlete Katarina Johnson-Thompson and wheelchair tennis player Alfie Hewett.

Broad will be aiming to become the first cricketer to win the award since 2019 when Ben Stokes collected the award.

He became England’s second leading Test wicket taker with 604 before announcing his retirement on the penultimate day of the fifth and final Ashes Test and helping them draw the series against Australia at the Oval by taking a wicket with his final ball bowled and hitting a six off the last ball he faced.

Liverpool-born Johnson-Thompson came back from injury to win her second world title in Budapest this year.

Her build-up to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics was undermined by an Achilles injury which forced her to pull out but the 30-year-old bounced back with a Commonwealth Games title in Birmingham last year and then conquered the world again in Budapest.

Three-time British flat racing champion jockey Dettori triumphed in two British classics this year, winning the 2000 Guineas on Chaldean and the Oaks on Soul Sister, and is joined on the list by wheelchair tennis player Hewett.

Hewett was 2023 Australian Open and US Open singles champion and also claimed three of the four grand slam titles on offer in doubles alongside Gordon Reid.

The winner of the public vote will be announced on the night of the live show on Tuesday, December 19.

Other awards being presented on the night are world sport star of the year, young sports personality of the year, coach of the year, team of the year, unsung hero, the Helen Rollason Award for outstanding achievement in the face of adversity, and the lifetime achievement award.