Rory McIlroy will return to competitive action for the first time since The Masters this week, joining the field at the Wells Fargo Championship as he attempts to get his season back on track.
The Holywood native entered the first major of the year as many people's favourites to claim the green jacket, having been arguably the most in-form player in the world leading up to the event. However, his performance fell well short of expectations, failing to make the cut.
McIlroy's failure to perform at The Masters certainly took a mental toll on him. Not only did he skip media duties after missing the cut, but he also pulled out of the RBC Heritage the following week. That decision cost him around $3million as a result of missing a second PGA Tour 'designated event' of the season.
He will hope to rediscover his previous form in the days ahead, with the 33-year old having seemingly readjusted his focuses after the showing at Augusta.
Rory McIlroy hints at LIV Golf impact on Masters performance
It has been a huge 12 months for Rory McIlroy, both on and off the course. He has performed brilliantly at times, but also failed to end the major hoodoo that has now been plaguing him since 2014. That includes a final day collapse at The Open last summer.
As well as that, he has also spearheaded the PGA Tour's battle with LIV Golf, with the Northern Irishman being one of the most outspoken critics of the Saudi-backed venture. Not only has he helped lead reform on the PGA Tour, but he has also been dragged into lawsuits launched by the likes of Patrick Reed.
Speaking to the Golf Channel ahead of the Wells Fargo, he said that he needed to take a break after The Masters in order to recoup mentally. He also hinted that the taxing nature of his time in golf over the last year may have contributed to his failure to perform in the tournament, with the player likely to focus more on matters on the course in the months ahead.
🗣️ "A needed break."
Rory McIlroy said he skipped the RBC Heritage for mental health related reasons following his missed cut at the Masters. 💬 pic.twitter.com/kjNmt0AqTK— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) May 2, 2023
Obviously, after the disappointment of Augusta, and it's been a pretty taxing 12 months mentally, so it was nice to just try to disconnect and get away from it.
It's nice to come back and feel refreshed and I think we're on a pretty busy run from here until the Playoffs so I'm excited to get going.
I think I'm in a better headspace than I was, that run up to Augusta is always a stressful enough couple of weeks making sure everything is in the right order and your game is in good shape...
I wasn't gassed because of the golf, I was gassed because of everything that we've had to deal with in the golf world over the past 12 months and being right in the middle of it and being in that decision-making process.
I've always thought I've had a good handle on the perspective of things and where golf fits within my life, but I think over the last 12 months I'd lost sight of that, lost sight of the fact that there's more to life than the golf world and this silly little squabble that's going on between tours.
And I think once I disconnected from it a little bit, I could see things a little clearer and where everything fits. I guess that was a good reset.
Rory McIlroy will be hoping that he can bounce back with a strong performance this week, with the Wells Fargo Championship one of the bigger events on the PGA Tour calendar.
He certainly won't have long to rediscover his best form, with the season's second major set to take place at Oak Hill later this month.
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