Rory McIlroy has hit back at Kevin Kisner’s comments about the Masters winner playing in the DP World India Championship.

The former Team USA Ryder Cup vice-captain called Rory McIlroy’s comments about spreading the game ‘dogs***’ on the Fore Play Podcast, saying McIlroy and others were only there for the money.

McIlroy would finish the tournament tied for 42nd on -4 as Spaniard Eugenio López-Chacarra won by two shots on -21, with Tom McKibbin and Shane Lowry finishing inside the top 15.

Speaking after the tournament, McIlroy queried why Kisner would make such comments. ‘I don’t know why me being in India would make ‘Kis’ need to comment on it,’ McIlroy said, before adding, ‘How would he know that?’ when it was said that Kisner accused McIlroy of only being there for the money.

‘Two things can be true at the same time,’ McIlroy explained.

‘People can get paid to come and play at a tournament, but at the same time, do it from a place of genuine interest in trying to bring the sport to another country, a developing country, a country where the middle class in India is larger than the whole population of the United States.

‘It’s a huge market for golf.’

Reflecting on the week in New Delhi as a whole, McIlroy said: ‘Yeah, great to be back in India. I think we all got a tremendous welcome. It was a great week off the course, and we did a lot of fun things.

‘Wish I had played better on it, but I’ll get to go home here for a couple of weeks and practice and sharpen up and get myself ready for the last couple of events.

‘Overall, it’s been a wonderful week. India is a really important market for golf going forward, and it’s only going to keep growing. It’s important that we come here, and I thought this week was another step in the right direction for golf in India and international golf as a whole.’