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Rory McIlroy is reportedly heading home after his 2025 Masters win last week. In a recent post on X by aviation tracking account "radaratlas2," McIlroy's Gulfstream G650 was spotted over the Atlantic Ocean moving towards Northern Ireland.
The World No. 2 golfer clinched his first Masters title on Sunday, 13 April, completing his career Grand Slam. He notched a birdie in the first playoff hole against Justin Rose, after both finished at 11-under through four rounds at Augusta National Golf Club.
In a recent post on X, "radaratlas2" shared real-time data from ADS-B Exchange, showing McIlroy’s Gulfstream G650, a $44 million private jet registered as N1989R, departing from the Miami area. While the destination hasn't officially been confirmed, the Northern Irishman was likely headed for his well-earned downtime.
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The account wrote in his X post:
"#MastersChamp Rory McIlroy's airplane #N1989R is headed eastbound over the Atlantic towards, if I had to guess, Northern Ireland."
On the post, an X user asked if "smaller planes" could manage navigation over the Atlantic, to which "radaratlas2" replied:
"Yes, those $44,000,000 jets handle the international coastal winds just fine."
McIlroy's win at Augusta National secured his place as the first European golfer to complete the career Grand Slam. Overall, he's the sixth player to complete the feat. Four of the five players are from the USA (Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods), while one of them is from South Africa (Gary Player).
Rory McIlroy won a major championship after an 11-year drought
Rory McIlroy won his first major championship at the 2011 U.S. Open. He defeated Australia's Jason Day by six strokes at the Congressional Country Club. His second major win came in 2012 at the PGA Championship. His next two major wins were in 2014 at the Open Championship and the PGA Championship.
Since then, McIlroy has come close to winning the Masters on numerous occasions. In the press conference after his win, he was asked about his low point during his 11-year drought. He pointed at two specific tournaments, via ASAP Sports:
"There's been a few. It's hard because, like, I've played so much good golf. It's hard to call the second-place finishes and the St Andrews was a tough one to take because you only get a few opportunities there, you know, during the course of your career."
McIlroy finished third at the 2022 Open Championship after holding a share of the lead for the majority of the final round. He was overtaken by Cameron Smith's brilliant 64 at the Old Course.
"The U.S. Open last year was awful. But yeah, the losses are hard, and you know, again, just so proud of myself that I keep coming back and putting myself in positions to win these championships," he added.
Rory McIlroy finished as runner-up, losing by one stroke to Bryson DeChambeau at the 2024 U.S. Open. He missed two critical putts under four feet on the back nine at Pinehurst No. 2. The 35-year-old will be seen on the course at the 2025 Zurich Classic of New Orleans from April 24 to 27.
