Two days before the start of the match at the K Club west of Dublin - and on a day of disruption caused by foul weather - Woods asked to speak to the media about some fake porn pictures that had appeared in a local magazine.

Former bikini model Elin, 26, was said to be "upset" and "embarrassed" and Woods said: "You do things for the people you love and you care about.

"My father got ridiculed for years and I always felt for my father and my mother the same way.

"My wife, we're in it together, we're a team and we do things as a team and I care about her with all my heart.

"(There are) things that have occurred over here that I'm very disappointed about. Not the fans, not the people here, not the Irish people, but how the article was written.

"Yes, she has been a model prior and she did some bikini photos. But to link her to porn websites and such is unacceptable and I do not accept that at all. Neither does our team.

"I just want to say that that doesn't deter or detract from the beauty of the event.

"The people have been absolutely fantastic. Irish people have come out and supported us. I know the media can be a little bit difficult at times, but it's hard to be very diplomatic about this when you have so much emotion involved, when my wife is involved like this.

"I just hope that it was the right thing to do.

"I've come here numerous years to fish and hang out and play golf and tour all of Ireland and people here have been absolutely fantastic.

"The same for this week. All of the Europeans that have come and supported the European side have been so gracious to us.

"It's just 'don't let the facts get in the way of a good story' and sometimes that happens. I think this was a clear incidence of that."