Brooks Koepka claims the media negatively reported on his attitude towards the Ryder Cup.
The 31-year old was speaking on the eve of his third appearance in the competition.
Koepka first represented his country in the USA's winning effort at Hazeltine, and was part of the team beaten by Thomas Bjorn's Europe in 2018.
Prior to Whistling Straits, Koepka gave a lengthy interview with Golf Digest where his enthusiasm for the Ryder Cup didn't exactly leap off the page.
Asked how he adjusts to playing on a team, he said, "It’s different. It’s hectic. It’s a bit odd, if I’m honest. I don’t want to say it’s a bad week. We’re just so individualised, and everybody has their routine and a different way of doing things, and now, it’s like, OK, we have to have a meeting at this time or go do this or go do that.
"It’s the opposite of what happens during a major week."
He added, "It’s tough. There are times where I’m like, I won my match. I did my job. What do you want from me? I know how to take responsibility for the shots I hit every week.
"Now, somebody else hit a bad shot and left me in a bad spot, and I know this hole is a loss. That’s new, and you have to change the way you think about things.
🗣️ "That is how Europe now do things, it is absolutely meticulous"
🗣️ "The Americans by comparison look like they've just pitched up again" @GolfWeeklyOTB on the different preparations from #TeamEurope & #TeamUSA ⛳️@SkySports #RyderCup pic.twitter.com/eo5IMtcTVJ— Off The Ball (@offtheball) September 23, 2021
"You go from an individual sport all the time to a team sport one week a year. It’s so far from my normal routine. I can barely see my [personal] team. It’s hard to even go to the gym."
That interview led to 2008 Ryder Cup captain Paul Azinger suggesting Koepka should give up his spot on the team.
Speaking ahead of Thursday's opening ceremony, Koepka blamed the media for their reporting of his comments.
"I never said it was negative," he said. "Y'all spun it that way. I said it was different.
"Like I said, I've never played any of these team events. I didn't play Walker Cup. Never played Junior Ryder Cup. Never played anything. I just said it's different. That doesn't mean it's bad.
"It's a lot of fun to play. I wouldn't be nervous on the first tee if I didn't care. I can only do my job and then y'all report whatever your opinion or side might be.
"You guys have kind of already spun it negatively, so it is going to trickle to the fans because you guys are kind of our only outlet besides social media. It's how you guys take it and spin it.
"Whatever they think is kind of off what they read, whether you write an article, whatever you're doing. They read that stuff. It's all kind of your guys' opinion, they are going to take that side a little bit more."
Meanwhile, Koepka says he has no idea what Bryson DeChambeau was alluding to during his press conference earlier this week.
His long-running rival set tongues wagging when he suggested there will be "something fun" involving the warring factions in the near future.
Some suggested a blockbuster pairing on Friday or Saturday at Whistling Straits, while others put forward the suggestion of a head-to-head competition similar to that of Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods.
Asked what DeChambeau was hinting at, Koepka told reporters, ""I have no idea.
"I didn't listen to the comments or whatever he said, so I have no idea."
