OLIVER Wilson is taking a break before starting his challenge for the first Major championship of the season, the US Masters at Augusta next month.

The Masters is the last tournament in Wilson's three-month stint in the US and, in his last competitive round before the event, in the WGC-CA Championship at the Doral Golf Resort, he finished a tired looking second last.

But he did give his flagging spirits a badly-needed lift with a closing 67. "It was carefree golf at its absolute best," he said. "My short game has been pathetic this week and I just hit a lot more greens.

"Embarrassed is not too strong a word. It was just one of those weeks. I got sidetracked working on things that are already good."

The former Walker Cup star played in his first Masters last year but believes he made the mistake of doing too much in the lead-up to the event.

"I went to college in Augusta and when I went back I was here, there and everywhere catching up with old friends," said the Coxmoor-attached professional.

"That was the wrong way to prepare for the Masters. Concentration plays a huge part in that tournament and by the time I teed off, I was mentally tired."

Wilson's disappointing tournament in Doral has seen him slip to eighth place in the European Ryder Cup rankings.

"It was not what I expected when the week started," he said. "But I'm going to a have good break now and, hopefully, I will get back on track."

Wilson has figured in the top 50 on the World Rankings for the last 18 months but is still finding it difficult to settle on the right schedule.

He said: "I was under the impression that when you get into the top-50, your schedule became really easy. I soon realised it actually makes it even harder.

"Especially this part of the year. It's a balancing act, you have to decide where you're playing back home, where you're playing over here, if you can get into tournaments over here.

"It's like when you first get on Tour, you're not sure if you're going to be in some events. It's a crossover with some tournaments.

"It's a great position to be in, but we travel a lot and the fatigue catches up with you.

"Earlier in the year, I was out in the Middle East and you are a four-hour time zone ahead of the UK, and then I was back to the UK for a week.

"A few weeks ago I was in Arizona for the World Match Play and then I went back to California. After that I flew to the East Coast.

"All that takes an effect, especially when you throw in tournaments like this, they are going to take a lot out of you mentally. It all adds up."

Wilson took two months off at the end of last year and it showed in his good results earlier this season.

He said: "I had two months off over Christmas and I've felt fresher this year than I've ever felt. However, I'm now feeling more tired and I can tell the body is not as fresh as it was."

Wilson is not complaining. He loves the life he leads but also knows there is a very fine line between being comfortable and overdoing it.

He said: "The actual travelling isn't a whole lot of fun, but seeing all of these places around the world is an amazing opportunity and I love it.

"You get to see so many great places and obviously we get treated very well doing what we do. So there's certainly no complaining there."

Latest leading positions in the European Ryder Cup table after the WGC-CA Championship (top four on world list qualify, then next five on European points list. Captain Colin Montgomerie adds three wild cards)

World points: 1 Lee Westwood 211.3, 2 Ian Poulter 190.6, 3 Rory McIlroy 148.6, 4 Padraig Harrington 133.3, 5 Martin Kaymer 131.4, 6 Paul Casey 103.6, 7 Edoardo Molinari 97.7, 8 Ross McGowan 93.7, 9 Simon Dyson 86.2, 10 Alvaro Quiros 83.1.

European points: 1 Lee Westwood 2,040,883, 2 Ian Poulter 1,992,692, 3 Rory McIlroy 1,434,760, 4 Ross McGowan 1,225,074, 5 Martin Kaymer 1,109,616, 6 Simon Dyson 963,390, 7 Paul Casey 930,896, 8 Oliver Wilson 851,437, 9 Padraig Harrington 847,723, 10 Sergio Garcia 808,675.