European players on the Ryder Cup team have played down a suggestion by US opponent Phil Mickelson that the spirit in Europe's team might be affected by a court case involving teammates Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell.
The Northern Irish duo, who played together at the past two Ryder Cups, are on opposite sides of a legal dispute involving their former management company.
But Englishman Justin Rose said Mickelson's comments were "a bit of banter and getting things going. We don't have a problem with that at all."
Five-time major champion Mickelson, who had been asked about the US team's perceived lack of togetherness in past Ryder Cups, said: "Not only are we able to play together, we also don't litigate against each other. That's a real plus, I feel."
Mickelson is known in the US team for his sharp one-liners, often aimed at geeing up his team-mates, and his remarks on McIlroy and McDowell are being seen more as a playful dig than an attempt to rile the Europeans.
"There's no real angst between the players. In our team room, it's a non-issue," Rose said.
"Of course, yeah, it was mentioned last night. Phil came up to Rory last night and was like, 'hey, this and that'. It's no real big deal."
Europe captain Paul McGinley has suggested he might break up the McIlroy-McDowell partnership for tactical reasons when play begins Friday.
Rose said there was no tension between McIlroy and McDowell, adding: "They have been getting on great and playing golf and hanging out and having dinners together. The atmosphere is fantastic in our team room."
Mickelson's team-mate Rickie Fowler has also played down the comments, saying: "Phil's always Phil. That's why we love him.
"He's a lot of fun to be around, and we hear a lot of those one-liners in practice rounds in Tuesday games. So it's nothing new to me."
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