Rory McIlroy is preparing for the Houston Open and the Masters in style, as evidenced by the multi-million-dollar aircraft he used to travel to tournament locations.
Recently, McIlroy took delivery of a 2022 Gulfstream G650ER in late 2024, and the PGA Tour star has been using the private jet to prepare for upcoming tournaments. The jet also changed its tail number, which allowed fans to track where the Nothern Irish star was, per RadarAtlas.
Rory McIlroy took delivery of a private jet in late 2024 and it has received a new tail number (Image: Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)
In doing so, fans spotted that McIlroy’s jet had landed in Augusta on March 24 before departing for Houston that same afternoon. The 35-year-old is set to compete in the Houston Open this weekend, though it appears that McIlroy was in Georgia to scout the Masters as well.
McIlroy’s aircraft of choice is the G650ER, one of Gulfstream’s more recognizable models. The G650ER has set more than 125 world speed records and its design is a popular choice, with over 500 aircraft currently in use, making it one of the most trusted business jets in the world, according to Gulfstream.
That said, the PGA Tour star had to spend a pretty penny to have the G650ER in his fleet. Depending on how the aircraft is configured, how it was utilized and its model year, a used G650ER could range anywhere from $40 million to upwards of $60 million, according to AVBuyer.com.
The Gulfstream 650ER could cost anywhere between $40 and $78 million, depending on the condition ( Image: gulfstream.com)
Meanwhile, a brand new model costs roughly $78 million, though it is dependent again on the aforementioned factors. With the expense comes unrivaled comfort, however, as the G650ER can carry anywhere between 13 and 16 passengers with the possibility of having 3.5 to four living areas on board.
The Gulfstream G650ER has many options to help make a passenger’s ride as comfortable as possible ( Image: gulfstream.com)
Certain configurations of the craft also allow for a specific number of people to convert the single seats to beds. Lastly, the G650ER also has 16 panoramic oval windows, which are designed to bring in natural light to those in the aircraft.
With McIlroy already doing advanced scouting ahead of the Masters by arriving at Augusta, the 35-year-old’s decision to play in the Houston Open, an event he typically does not play, is a move that will pay off for him, according to Bill Horschel. Speaking on the Sky Sports Golf podcast, Horshel explained his rationale.
The Gulfstream G650ER has the capability to seat up to 19 passengers, depending on the configuration ( Image: gulfstream.com)
“It’s a perfectly designed golf course for Rory,” he said. “When Rory was talking to me about it when we were talking schedules at the end of last year, early this year, and he mentioned playing Houston, I said to him, ‘Man, that course is right up your alley.’
“There’s a distance bias there. There’s a lot of holes that he can hit his nice going draw along. I would suspect Rory has a very good chance to win. I know that Scottie Scheffler’s in the field, but with the way that Rory has been playing this year, the way his game is at, it wouldn’t shock me if he went on to win this week.
Single passenger seats on the aircraft could be converted to beds, if the need arose ( Image: gulfstream.com)
“I think it’s going to be a great test. The greens are big; they’ve got some slope in them. Chipping around the greens and having to hit chips up to greens sort of gets you ready for Augusta a little bit. The field is a really good one, but if Rory wins, then I’m not shocked by it at all.”
The Houston Open is set to tee off from March 27-30, with the Masters set for April 10-13.
