"It's been a taxing 12 months mentally" - Rory McIlroy says his post-Masters break was for his ‘mental and emotional well-being'

Rory McIlroy is back on the Tour with the Wells Fargo Championship this week after a three-week break from golf.

His shock exit from the 2023 Masters took a mental toll on him. As a result, the Northern Irishman withdrew from the RBC Heritage for undisclosed reasons and didn't appear in any other event either for the next two weeks.

Rory received heavy criticism for dropping out of the RBC Heritage as it was the second designated event he skipped this season, despite the fact that PGA allowed the top players to skip only one of these events.

However, the three-time winner at Quail Hollow Club returns to one of his favorite events. He spoke with the Golf Channel and talked about his decision to have some family time instead of playing.

"I needed a break for me," McIlroy told Todd Lewis of Golf Channel. "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."

"More for my mental and emotional well-being I needed to be at home for those few weeks," McIlroy told Lewis.

The four-time major champion stated that he was in a better headspace than he was a few weeks ago.

He told Golf Channel:

"Yeah, 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 realize that there’s three more majors this year, there’s a ton left to play for."

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How has Rory McIlroy performed at the Wells Fargo Championship in the past?

Rory McIlroy won the 2021 Wells Fargo Championship

Rory McIlroy has some great memories from the Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow Club, Charlotte.

McIlroy won his first PGA Tour title in 2010 at the Wells Fargo Championship, beating Phil Mickelson by 4 strokes. Then he won again in 2015 after defeating Patrick Rodgers and Webb Simpson by a record 7-stroke margin.

His most recent win in Charlotte came in 2021, his first victory in two years. Since that win, he has won three more titles, including last year’s TOUR Championship, and also ended up as the year-ending World No. 1.

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Wells Fargo Championship details

The Wells Fargo Championship will commence on Thursday, May 4, at the Quail Hollow Club situated in Charlotte. The event is one of the designated events on the PGA Tour with a purse size of $20 million.

The Wells Fargo Championship will be a 156-player field with most of the top players competing at the Quail Hollow Club.

Last year, the Wells Fargo Championship was played in the TPC Potomac as Quail Hollow Club was being prepared for the Presidents Cup. Max Homa won the event for the second time after besting Cameron Young, Keegan Bradley, and Matt Fitzpatrick by two shots.