On Tuesday, January 27, Boston Common Golf delivered a stellar performance in TGL, defeating Bay Golf Club 9-1 to move to 2-0 on the leaderboard. For a team that did not win a single match last season, this result represents a complete turnaround. For that, captain Rory McIlroy has his friend Shane Lowry to thank. The Northern Irishman went on to defeat his fellow Ryder Cupper in singles on holes 10 and 13. The secret to such a performance seems to be jet lag. But while McIlroy seems completely over it, Shane Lowry couldn’t quite shake it. Why?

“He doesn’t have his own plane,” McIlroy explained.

The context here matters. Both McIlroy and Lowry had just played back-to-back weeks in Dubai on the DP World Tour before flying to South Florida for the TGL. Both battled through the same time zones and the same physical demands. Yet, one player could not perform due to the jet lag. The difference, as McIlroy noted, was logistics. Lowry had to take a commercial flight while McIlroy had his private aviation.

This is not the first time, though, that Lowry had to suffer because of jet lag. Notably, he has been vocal about his troubles with travel fatigue in the past. But he considers it to be a “part and parcel” of the sport he plays.

“It’s actually strange in a way because when you have jet lag, you know you’re going to get tired and some mistakes can creep,” he said in an Irish Times article back in 2014.

But while that makes sense, it was McIlroy’s cheesy joke on his private jet that caught attention.

According to the Irish Sun, McIlroy owns a Gulfstream G50, which is reportedly valued between $50 -$70 M on various sites. He has frequently been spotted flying between Tour stops, sometimes to attend football matches. For instance, last season, he was tracked flying from Florida to Bilbao to watch Manchester United in the Europa League final. His jet landed at George Best Belfast City Airport before continuing to Spain.

This wealth gap isn’t subtle. McIlroy’s net worth is estimated to be around 260 million, according to the Sunday Times Rich List 2025. This places him among the richest people under 40 in the UK. Forbes lists his annual earnings at $84 million. Notably, on the PGA Tour, he surpassed $100M in career earnings just before his historic 2025 Masters win, making him only the second player after Tiger Woods to reach that milestone. The win alone paid out a record $4.2 million.

Off the course, the portfolio only grows. McIlroy lives primarily in a 12,800 sq foot mansion in Jupiter, Florida, inside the Bear’s Club. He also owns properties in California, Northern Ireland, New York, and Dubai. His Northern Ireland estate reportedly covers 200 acres and includes a private golf course. McIlroy also has a massive car collection, featuring Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Aston Martins, and more.

Lowry, for his part, is not exactly scraping by either. He has more than $41 million in career earnings. His sponsorships are also lucrative, with deals estimated to be worth $6M annually. Like McIlroy, Lowry has a vast real estate portfolio with properties in both Dublin and Jupiter. Yet, Monday night showed the difference between being rich and being Rory McIlroy rich.

That’s why the joke landed. It wasn’t mean-spirited, and Lowry took it in stride. Interestingly, this is not the first time Rory McIlroy has joked about his wealth.

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Rory McIlroy’s first PGA Tour paycheque

Last year, ahead of the BMW Championship, Rory McIlory laughed as he revisited how he spent his very first PGA Tour paycheque. At just 18, a young McIlroy arrived on the Tour in 2007. Notably, he had little sense of financial perspective at the time.

That same year, he had made around 20k on the DP World Tour, after finishing T42 at the British Masters. Following that, he secured a third-place finish at the Alfred Dunhill Cup, which helped him make with almost $300K.

“I only had a debit card,” he said. “I checked my balance and thought, ‘Holy cow.’ I went straight to the jeweller.”

When asked what he bought, a hesitant McIlroy revealed, “A watch.”

“With diamonds around it. It was horrific. I can’t believe it was like the worst purchase ever. It was so bad!”

While he may regret the luxury watch he purchased back in the day, he would be quite satisfied with his private jet acquisition, as it allows him to arrive fresh for events.