McIlroy lights up our sports landscape

THE BBC hierarchy must be thanking their lucky stars that Rory McIlroy won the Open at Hoylake.

At a stroke – or rather, at 271 strokes majestically played over four gruelling days – the young Northern Irishman ensured that the broadcaster’s annual Sports Personality shindig will have a worthy winner.

2014 has hardly been a vintage year so far – and frankly, even with a few months still to go, it is hard to see where any realistic challenger to McIlroy is likely to emerge.

Last year we were spoilt for choice: Andy Murray, the winner, had won Wimbledon; England had retained the Ashes, thus the candidacy of Ian Bell; the British and Irish Lions had triumphed in Australia; Chris Froome won the Tour de France; and with the likes of Ben Ainslie, AP McCoy, Justin Rose and Chritstine Ohuruogu, there were plenty of sports stars worthy of the top award.

The Olympic year of 2012 was even more golden, when Bradley Wiggins held off the challenge of such stars as Jessica Ennis, Chris Hoy, Mo Farah, Ellie Simmonds and Nicola Adams.

But this year? England’s rugby team were whitewashed in New Zealand, Murray was bombed out of Wimbledon in the quarter-finals, and as for England’s cricket and football teams, it is kindest to draw a veil over them. Mediocrity has proved too ambitious a target.

Thank heavens, then, for Rory McIlroy, whose breathtaking display reinforced his place among golf’s greats and would have guaranteed him a fair chance of the honours even in a good year.

It’s just possible that someone may emerge dusted with star quality from the forthcoming Commonwealth Games. But barring something quite spectacular and unforeseen, we can probably start engraving the BBC Sports Personality of the Year trophy now.