Rory McIlroy has finally broken his silence nearly a month on from missing the cut at this year's Masters Tournament at Augusta National.
Heading into the opening major championship of the year McIlroy was a well-backed favourite, but two disappointing rounds around the iconic Georgia course saw him miss the 36-hole cut. A week on from his Masters disappointment, the Northern Irishman's withdrawal from the RBC Heritage was announced.
This decision proved to be a controversial one, with McIlroy seemingly breaking PGA Tour rules that stipulate players are only able to pull out of one elevated event a year, a threshold he had already past earlier in the season.
Reports suggested that the four-time major champion now faced a £2.4 million sanction for his rule break, which would be taken from his 2022 Player Impact Programme (PIP) bonus. Amid the speculation, McIlroy - and the Tour - remained tight lipped.
Three weeks on though, the Northern Irishman has finally addressed is Augusta disappointment and recent absence, claiming he needed time away from the course to look after his 'mental and emotional well-being'. He told Golf Channel: "More for my mental and emotional well-being I needed to be at home for those few weeks.
"I think I'm in a better head space than I was. I needed a break for me. 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."
McIlroy will no doubt be keen to put his Augusta blip behind, especially having found such hot form heading into the opening major. And ahead of his comeback at Quail Hollow this week, the 33-year-old has revealed he is feeling 'refreshed' after his recent struggles.
What do you make of Rory McIlroy's chances this week? Let us know in the comments section below.
"It's nice to come back and feel refreshed," he said. "You know, 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." McIlroy's week will kick off on Thursday, when he begins his first round alongside Ryder Cup teammate Matt Fitzpatrick and former world No. 1 Jason Day at 12:34pm (BST).
