RORY McIlroy is back playing golf at one of his favourite courses after taking a break to get into “a better headspace” for his "mental and emotional well-being."
The Northern Irishman has won the Wells Fargo tournament at Quail Hollow three times, most recently in 2021, and has six other top ten finishes there in 11 attempts.
McIlroy missed the cut at the recent Masters at Augusta, another disappointment at that major, and then sat out the RBC Heritage event.
Although the Holywood man was not on the list for a pre-tournament press conference this week, he did speak briefly to Golf Channel's Todd Lewis.
"I needed a break for me," McIlroy said. "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. But it’s nice to come back and feel refreshed.
"I think I’m in a better headspace than I was…that run-up to Augusta is always a stressful enough couple of weeks trying making sure everything’s in the right order and making sure your game’s in good shape.
“I think for me it was a nice reset because I still had to realise that there’s three more majors this year, there’s a ton left to play for."
Eamon Lynch, who co-hosts the ‘Golf Today’ show, knows McIlroy and opined that he "still looked a little tired" but that he "doesn't owe anyone an excuse."
Read more on sport and mental health:
Cahair O'Kane: You never know what someone is going through
Ronan McNamee in a good place and willing to help others with mental illness
