Despite winning two majors, including The Open, being a key part of Europe's Ryder Cup win and finishing top of golf's money list, Rory McIlroy was beaten to the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award by Lewis Hamilton.
The Mercedes driver won his second F1 title last month.
The award was decided by public vote. Here's how it broke down. Hamilton got 33.8% of the vote, 13.9% more than McIlroy. Long distance runner Jo Pavey finished in third.
SPOTY vote breakdown: Hamilton gets 33.8%. Lower % than Murray in 2013 (56%) but higher than Wiggins in 2012 (30%). pic.twitter.com/47upmuUXJ6
— sportingintelligence (@sportingintel) December 14, 2014
Historically you could say that the odds were against McIlroy winning. Only two golfers have won the award previously. The last being Nick Faldo in 1989.
See also: The Twitter World Is Outraged At The BBC Sports Personality Of The Year Winner
See also: Eye-Opening Tweet Shows How Much Rory McIlroy Has Changed In 7 Years
Picture credit: Brendan Moran / SPORTSFILE
