McIlroy ready for a break after 'mental errors' deny him another title

Rory McIlroy suggested mental fatigue played its part in his near-miss at the European Masters.

A week on from his victory at the Tour Championship, which earned him the FedEx Cup title and a prize of $15million, the world number two found himself in a five-man play-off at Crans-sur-Sierre, only to lose out as Sebastian Soderberg claimed a maiden European Tour title.

Reflecting on his efforts in Switzerland, McIlroy said: "[I made] too many mistakes. I think I made 13 bogeys during the week.

"I made enough birdies, but I just didn't have it over the weekend. It's been another solid week, coming back across the Atlantic. Now I'm looking forward to a couple of weeks off."

That sound @McIlroyRory #OEM2019 pic.twitter.com/2AL5blvDEq
— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) September 1, 2019

McIlroy was left to rue the fact he bogeyed the 17th and 18th on Saturday, leaving him three off the pace heading into the final round.

"This is my seventh event in eight weeks, I've played a lot of golf," he added. "Playing so much, little mental errors can creep in here and there. The sloppy finish yesterday probably cost me, but I fought back today and did my best. It just wasn't meant to be.

"I'll put the clubs away for a few days, rest, recover and reflect on what has been a pretty good season so far, and try to get myself back up for [the BMW PGA Championship at] Wentworth [starting on September 19]."