McIlroy 'refreshed' after mental health break

Northern Ireland golf star Rory McIlroy revealed on Tuesday he had taken a break from the sport to focus on his "mental and emotional well-being" in the wake of his missed cut at the Masters last month.

McIlroy returns to the PGA Tour this week at the Wells Fargo Championship in North Carolina feeling refreshed following a three-week hiatus from the sport in the wake of his disappointing Augusta campaign.

The 33-year-old four-time major champion withdrew from the RBC Heritage tournament last month immediately after the Masters without giving an explanation.

On Tuesday McIlroy revealed he had skipped the tournament for his own wellbeing, adding that the turmoil that has rocked golf in the past year since the emergence of the breakaway LIV circuit had taken a toll.

"I needed a break for me," McIlroy told NBC's Golf Channel.

"Obviously, after the disappointment of Augusta, it's been a pretty taxing 12 months mentally, so it was nice to just try to disconnect a little bit and get away from it."

McIlroy said his absence from the tour had left him in a "better headspace than I was."

"I think for me it was a nice reset because I still had to realize that there are three more majors this year, there is a ton left to play for," McIlroy said.

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