RORY McILROY returns to action at the Wells Fargo Championship in Charlotte, North Carolina today after three weeks away from competitive action and admits building in time off to his schedule will be key to his success in years to come.

A winner of the event at Quail Hollow in 2009, McIlroy also took three weeks off before The Masters, but it is all part of his long-term plan.

“I don’t want to be burned out by the time I’m 30, I want to try and prolong my career as much as I can,” said the Ulster man, who turns 23 tomorrow.

“I sometimes take a little bit too much out of myself, especially at the end of the season. Basically the most important time for me in the golf season is from the start of April until the end of August. That’s when all the big tournaments are and that’s when you want to play your best golf.

“All the stuff either side of that is more preparation work and making sure that your game is getting ready and your body is physically ready.

“I know I’ve been criticised a little bit for not playing as much as some other guys leading into these few weeks, but I know I’ve got a big stretch coming up and I want to be as fresh as possible for this.

“I’m trying to find the perfect balance between golf and having a normal life and everything else.

“For me there’s more to life than just golf. I don’t know if people are surprised to hear that, but I have a lot more going on in my life than just golf.”

McIlroy will hope to be inspired by his return to the scene of his first victory in America two years ago – achieved with a magical course record of 62 in the final round after he had almost missed the halfway cut.

At the Masters, he was only one shot off the lead after two rounds, but closed 77-76. There is obviously no need for him to panic about that, though. Last year, of course, he finished with an 80 when four clear and then two months later won the US Open by eight with a record score.

“I think that by going into Majors as a Major champion it’s definitely heightened your expectation levels a little bit – maybe that was something that I maybe didn’t control quite so well at the Masters,” he said.

McIlroy has the chance to dethrone Luke Donald as world number one if he can finish in the top seven, while Lee Westwood can grab top spot if he wins the tournament and McIlroy is outside the top six.

Westwood has a new caddie this week and may not have regular bagman Billy Foster back until after the British Open in July.

Foster injured his right knee just before a charity football match on Monday and, according to the world number three, could be out of action for more than two months.

Westwood, who will have American Casey Kerr alongside him at Quail Hollow, said: “Billy could not only miss this event, next week’s Players Championship and the PGA at Wentworth, but also the US Open and The Open.

“I told him it’s a good job there’s no big tournaments coming up! Billy’s an integral part of the team and is very important. I’m not sure how it will affect me.”

Kerr usually works for Fred Couples, but the former Masters champion is currently suffering from ’flu.

Tiger Woods also returns to action and is confident he has solved the ball-striking problems which plagued him at the Masters last month.

The former world number one failed to break 72 in any of his four rounds at the year’s opening Major, completing his worst performance at Augusta National since he turned professional.

He battled his way to a closing two-over-par 74 for a five-over total of 293, ruing his tendency to allow old habits to creep back into a swing he has grooved with coach Sean Foley over the last two years.

“At the Masters, I was kind of struggling with my ball-striking a little bit,” said Woods. “Sean and I fixed it. It had to do with my posture. My set-up wasn’t quite right, as well as my takeaway so we worked on that.”

McIlroy plays the opening two rounds with two other former winners at Quail Hollow, Jim Furyk and David Toms, with Woods in the group immediately ahead of them with Geoff Ogilvy and Webb Simpson.

Westwood partners Kyle Stanley and defending champion Lucas Glover, while Phil Mickelson tees off alongside Bill Haas and Keegan Bradley.

They were the three players who fought out a play-off won by Haas at Riviera in Los Angeles in February.

Graeme McDowell was in the original field, but withdrew in order to rest and recharge his batteries before next week’s Players Championship – the event he led by three at one point last year, but then fell away to a closing 79.

SPANISH OPEN

Course: Royal Seville Golf Club

Prize money: €2million (€330,000)

Length: 7,134. Par: 72. Field: 156.

The layout: There are five doglegs and nine lakes on this Jose Maria Olazabal-designed course but the fairways are wide enough to stay out of trouble. The hardest hole is the par-four 15th which is guarded by a lake and two bunkers and the easiest of all the par fives is the fifth which is well under 600 yards.

Last year:Thomas Aiken beat Anders Hansen by two shots when staged at Barcelona.

Type of player suited to challenge: Fair test for all with ability to hit the fairways important.

Key attribute: Accuracy.

Weather forecast: Warm, but plenty of rain forecast. Sun may appear for final round.

On TV: Sky Sports (10am today).