'I called Rory McIlroy a leprechaun and believe me I wanted to call him much worse'

A FOX News reporter who came under fire for calling Rory McIlroy a leprechaun has stood by her comments stating that she wanted to "call him much worse".

Lisa 'Kennedy' Montgomery sought to clarify the remarks made during a segment about the injury sustained by the world number one golfer playing football.

He ruptured his ankle which has led to concern over him playing in The Open at St Andrews in Scotland which gets underway next week.

Speaking on camera Fox 'Outnumbered' host Harris Faulkner said the group were "still reacting to that Rory McIlroy story", before being interrupted by an unseen reporter.

"He's a leprechaun, I can't stand him," she can be heard saying.

Not long after the incident, Ms Faulkner took to Twitter to say she didn't hear the incident while she was on air.

Standing by her remarks in a statement FOX Business Network's Lisa 'Kennedy' Montgomery said she was "not a fan of Rory's" and said her opinion was due to his break-up with tennis ace Caroline Wozniacki.

The pair were engaged in 2013 but less than five months later McIlroy announced the high-profile relationship was over.

She also wished to make it clear it was her that made the comments and to make sure her fellow presenters were not implicated.

She said: "Yesterday at this time I used the word leprechaun to describe golfer Rory McIlroy. I love sports, I love golf, but I am not a fan of Rory's.

Mostly for the way he treated tennis great Caroline Wozniacki and discarded her like a piece of chewed gum when he broke her heart and broke off their engagement in a short phone conversation.

"That’s worse than breaking up on a Post-it. Now to be clear, neither Harris nor Jenna Lee used the term and I don’t want them to get the credit for it. I called Rory McIlroy a leprechaun and believe me I wanted to call him much worse.

"As you know, some of my best friends are leprechauns and they also have tremendous sense of humor. Thank you.”

The reigning Open champion, from Co Down, Norther Ireland, has pulled out of this week's Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open after sustaining a "total rupture" of a ligament during a "kickabout" with friends on Saturday.

The 26-year-old's participation at St Andrews is in doubt after he posted a picture of himself on crutches.

He took to social media on Monday to share a picture of himself in crutches with his foot in a cast boot.

McIlroy wrote on Instagram: "Total rupture of left ATFL (ankle ligament) and associated joint capsule damage in a soccer kickabout with friends on Saturday. Continuing to asses extent of injury and treatment plan day by day. Rehab already started..... Working hard to get back as soon as I can."

Who is Lisa 'Kennedy' Montgomery?

Lisa Kennedy Montgomery (Kennedy) joined FOX Business Network (FBN) as a contributor in 2012 and is the host of the primetime program, Kennedy.

Kennedy is a contributor to Reason.com. Recently, she served as the host of Music in the Morning w/ Kennedy on 98.7FM Los Angeles Alternative radio. She is the author of two books, The Kennedy Chronicles: The Golden Age of MTV Through Rose-Colored Glasses and Hey Ladies! Tales and Tips for Curious Girls.

Prior to joining FBN, Kennedy served as the host of Fox Reality Channel’s Reality Remix in 2005, a daily news and reality talk show. In 2002, she hosted Game Show Network’s Friend or Foe, and also hosted Who Wants To Be Governor Of California in 2003. Before that, she was a correspondent for MTV News for events such as the Grammys and Video Music Awards. While at MTV she hosted a series of specials entitled How-To With Kennedy. She got her start in television as an MTV VJ in 1992.

Kennedy graduated from University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and holds a bachelor’s degree in Philosophy.