Rory McIlroy is heading into a much-needed break before The Open Championship at Royal Portrush with a sense of optimism and renewed focus. The 36-year-old golfer recently finished in a tie for sixth at the Travelers Championship, marking his best result since his triumph at the Masters in April. McIlroy will be taking a short hiatus before returning to action at the Scottish Open on July 10-13, just one week before the season's final major.

McIlroy has acknowledged that he didn't take enough time off after his emotional victory at the Masters, where he completed the career Grand Slam. Despite skipping the RBC Heritage following his win at Augusta, he returned to the course just 10 days later to defend his title at the Zurich Classic alongside Shane Lowry, where they finished in a tie for seventh. However, his performances at the US PGA Championship and US Open were less than stellar, leaving him frustrated.

"I think more so than anything else it'll just be good for me mentally to take a little bit of a break and get back to my neck of the woods, get back to the UK for a little bit," McIlroy said. "I'm excited for that and I've alluded to the fact I probably haven't taken enough time off or time to reflect after what happened in April, so I'm excited to do a little bit of that over these next two weeks."

At the Travelers Championship, McIlroy finished three shots behind winner Keegan Bradley, with his 65 on Sunday being one of the best rounds of the day, second only to US Open winner JJ Spaun. "It was a good way to end the week - sort of good, positive vibes going into a couple of weeks' break here to get ready for Scotland and The Open," McIlroy added. "I definitely saw some positive signs in the game overall, which was really good to see and looking forward to getting back over to my neck of the woods for a couple of weeks and get prepared for a bit of links golf."

As McIlroy prepares for The Open Championship, he is focused on refining his game and maintaining the positive momentum he has built. With the final major of the season returning to Royal Portrush, McIlroy is determined to make a strong showing on home soil.