Rory McIlroy has called for tougher courses on the European Tour in order to help produce better golfers.

The 30-year-old PGA Tour Player of the Year finished in a tie for 26th at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship over the weekend. That was despite shooting rounds of 70, 66, 70 and 67 to end the tournament at 15 under par.

The winner was Frenchman Victor Perez, who finished seven shots ahead of McIlroy on 22 under.

The County Down star, who is currently number two in the world, spoke about his frustration after he completed his final round at the weekend's tournament.

"I'm honestly sick of coming back over to the European Tour, shooting 15 under par and finishing 30th.

"I don't think the courses are set up hard enough. There are no penalties for bad shots, and it's tough when you come back when it's like that. I don't feel like good golf is regarded as well as it could be.

"It happened at the Scottish Open, as well, at the Renaissance. I finished 13 under and finished no better than 30th again, so it's not a good test.

"I think if the European Tour want to put forth a really good product, the golf courses and setups need to be tougher.

McIlroy has since clarified his remarks on his Instagram account but reiterated his desire to see a tougher set of tournaments on the European Tour.

"I understand voicing concerns about golf course set-ups in Europe to the media at a pro-am event on benign links courses wasn't the right place to do it, or the right people to talk to about it," he wrote on Instagram.

"I was venting yesterday but I can assure you it came from the right place.

"Strategy, course management, and shot-making are important aspects of tournament golf that are being slowly taken out of the game at the top level, not just in Europe but worldwide.

"I would personally like to see tougher set-ups in Europe because it will produce better, more complete, young players in the future and that can only be a good thing for the game and our Ryder Cup chances."