Rory McIlroy vowed to come back "mentally refreshed" after he missed the cut by four shots at the BMW PGA Championship.
The world No 1 opened the defence of his title with a battling 71, but the exertions of playing his fourth tournament in succession caught up with him as he laboured to a six-over 78 to finish on five over par.
But McIlroy refused to be too hard on himself afterwards, admitting an extra couple of days off before he hosts the Irish Open at Royal County Down next week could be a blessing in disguise.
It was McIlroy's first missed cut in a European Tour event since the Irish Open last June, and just the third time in 45 starts worldwide that he had failed to make the weekend.
"I'm not going to read too much into it," said McIlroy, who has missed the cut at Wentworth in three of the last four years. "It was inevitable at some point the run was going to come to a bit of an end, but I suppose I am back to my usual at Wentworth! It was not great before last year and it has not been great this year.
"I think it was a bit of mental fatigue, especially when I was trying to muster up a few birdies coming down the back nine. I just couldn't get anything going. I would much rather be here for the weekend, but anything good comes out of this, it's just that I get a couple of extra days off to refresh mentally.
"I'm not angry, just a little disappointed I'm not going to be here for the weekend. But coming off the back of three good weeks in the States, I'm probably in need of a rest. I'd rather still be here, but it's not all bad getting to go home for the weekend.
Dust myself off
"Any time you're defending a title, you want to come back and give it a valiant effort. This week wasn't really that, but I'll dust myself off and get ready for a big week next week at the Irish Open."
Despite having a later tee time for day two, McIlroy was clearly still suffering the effects of his busy schedule and, after opening with a pair of pars, he found three bunkers on the third hole alone before salvaging a bogey with an excellent up-and-down.
McIlroy dropped another shot at the fifth, although he gave himself a lift with a birdie at the eighth before making a torrid start to the back nine. He followed a bogey at 10 with an ugly six at the 11th after another wayward tee shot forced him to take an unplayable lie, and he then hooked his third into the crowd and hit a spectator.
He bunkered another errant drive at the 13th and again failed to save par, and his shoulders sagged further after another bogey at 16 ended any slim hopes of being around for the weekend.
A birdie at 17 was scant consolation, and his performance was summed up at the last when he sculled his second from the left rough to short of the green, pitched 15 feet past the flag and three-putted to close with a six.