Scheffler omission from BBC awards shows it is time for major sports broadcasters to set up a rival

World's greatest golfer not deemed worthy by Aunty

Scottie Scheffler with the Wanamaker trophy / PGA of America

Winner of The Open at Royal Portrush, Winner of The PGA Championship at Quail Hollow, World Number One, and winner of 4 other PGA TOUR events since May, Scottie Scheffler has had one of the great years of golf by any individual in recent decades.

He has played 21 times in 2025, and finished in the top 10 on 18 occasions, earning 642 Official World Golf Ranking points. Scheffler's year, by every measure, has been one of the top 20 seasons ever in the history of the sport.

Yet, somehow, the BBC have determined that Scottie Scheffler should not be nominated for the World Sports Star Award as part of the BBC Sports Personality of the Year, which will be presented on December 18.

It is not disrespectful to Mariona Caldentey, Terence Crawford, Armand Duplantis, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Shohei Ohtani or Mohamed Salah to say that Scottie Scheffler's achievements and his year deserve nomination for this award. They have each had outstanding individual years, but none of them compare to the achievements and domination of their sport that Scheffler has achieved.

Yet again golf is snubbed. Yes, Rory McIlroy is set to be nominated for the Sports Personality of the Year, but do any of you hold out any hope for him getting the recognition his historic achievements deserve? Of course he won't win the award. He should win it hands down. Only 5 other men have ever won the Grand Slam, and no European had ever won it, before Rory's stunning Masters victory in April. Incredibly Scheffler also missed out on a nomination in 2024 despite winning The Masters, Olympic Gold, The Players Championship and 6 other tournaments, along with being World Number One.

So, it is time for Sky Sports, DAZN, TNT, and Premier Sports to collaborate on a rival award to the BBC's shambolic and outdated effort.

These four broadcasters show the vast majority of live sport in the UK each year, including the Olympic Games and Olympic sports on a week-to-week basis, and the most popular and major sports which everyone is a fan of. You can trust that these collaborating broadcasters will give equal billing to the major achievers from every sport, not just the sports which they show from time to time.

The awards could take place in January, after the sporting year has concluded and allowing for nominations to take account of the entire previous year's achievements. Each sport could be included with a men's and women's award, with these winners plus special additions making up the nominees for the outstanding men's and women's sports people of the year.

Of course, years of tradition will keep the BBC Sports Personality of the Year in the public conscience, but it is far beyond the time that the other broadcasters came up with an alternative.

SHANK, by Matt Hooper