RORY MCILROY AND Darren Clarke have both made the annual BBC Sports Personality of the Year shortlist.
The golfers join Mark Cavendish (cycling), Alastair Cook (cricket), Luke Donald (golf), Mo Farah (athletics), Dai Greene (athletics), Amir Khan (boxing), Andy Murray (tennis) and Andrew Strauss (cricket) on the shortlist.
The nominations comprised of votes made by sports editors of prominent UK newspapers including The Guardian and The Sunday Times.
The nomination rounds off what has been a fantastic year for McIlroy, in which he triumphed at the US Open and attained the number 2 spot in the Official World Golf Rankings.
Clarke also enjoyed a successful year, winning the Open Championship, despite having previously suffered a poor run of form.
Meanwhile, there has been a degree of controversy over the absence of women from the shortlist.
However, presenter Jake Humphrey defended the selection process, telling the BBC:
“We’ve got some amazing women, it’s disappointing but it is the way it is. It’s not a sexist competition.“Nothing should take anything away from these guys. Don’t expect to not see the Solheim Cup and the England women’s cricket team on the programme.”
The ceremony, in which the British public will vote to select the winner, takes place on December 22.
