McIlroy to attend BBC SPOTY ceremony in Manchester after reversal

Rory McIlroy has reversed a long-standing decision to skip the BBC Sports Personality of the Year ceremony and will attend the live event in Manchester in December, the Northern Irish golfer said as he prepares to compete this week at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship. McIlroy, 36, cited the visibility the show brings to sport and said being present would improve his chances of winning the award.

"Yeah, the plan is to go. I have more chance of winning if I'm actually there," McIlroy said. He acknowledged a previous, more dismissive view of the prize, saying earlier this year that he regarded it as "a popularity contest" and that he often forgot he had been nominated. McIlroy has largely stayed away from the ceremony since finishing runner-up in 2014.

The announcement comes after one of the most successful seasons of McIlroy's career. He completed golf's career Grand Slam with a dramatic Masters victory in April, won the Players Championship, the Pebble Beach ProAm and the Irish Open, and played a leading role in Europe retaining the Ryder Cup at Bethpage. Those achievements have left him in contention for end-of-season honours and at the top of the Race to Dubai standings as the...