Rory McIlroy stands by recent comments he made about the Ryder Cup but says he is surprised by the ripples his opinion have made.
The Hollywood starlet declared that the competition was simply an exhibition match and that it was "not that important" while speaking before the 3 Irish Open, remarks that were immediately played down as naive - seeing as he has yet to be involved in the showpiece - by Europe captain Colin Montgomerie.
"I was taken aback by the reaction because I was just voicing an honest opinion. That's how I feel about the event but maybe my view will change when I play in one," a more contrite McIlroy said.
"What I was really trying to say is my main goal is to win Majors and not Ryder Cups. When I was a kid growing up practising on the putting green I never had a putt to win the Ryder Cup, it was always to win the Masters or The Open. It's just the way I feel."
However, McIlroy admitted that he believes a rebuke from Ryder Cup hero Darren Clarke is on the cards at some point.
"I haven't spoken to any of the Ryder Cup players since I said that but I'm going for dinner to Darren's house so he might have a couple of words!"