We cannot teach kids to play golf like that,phil

MICKELSON DESERVES ALL THE FLAK FOR HIS UNFORGIVABLE ACTIONS SAYS EX-COACH BUTCH

DEFIANT Phil Mickelson dodged questions about his shocking rules breach as his former swing coach admitted he should have been disqualified from the US Open.

Butch Harmon led widespread condemnation of the American superstar for unashamedly revealing he deliberately stopped his moving ball from rolling off the 13th green during his Saturday round.

That mad moment cost him a two-shot penalty – but the consequences for his reputation are far more serious as Lefty was pilloried for his brazen disregard for the spirit of the game by manipulating the rules.

Mickelson last night snubbed the media waiting for him after his final-round 69 left him well down the field on 16 over par.

Instead he spent almost an hour speaking to his family and then signing autographs and posing for selfies while hordes of reporters around him waited for their opportunity to speak to him. When he finally marched down the practice range he was asked if he had any regrets about the incident but offered only a cryptic response before rushing away without further comment.

Mickelson said: “The real question is what am I going to do next – I don’t know.”

But his critics were far more strident. Former US Open winner Curtis Strange accused him of “insulting the national championship” while Ryder Cup star Lee Westwood directly tweeted the USGA organisers, asking them to explain why he wasn’t disqualified.

But the most damaging criticism came from long-time swing coach Harmon – who admitted he couldn’t defend Lefty’s actions.

Harmon said: “Phil is a friend of mine and, of course, I respect him tremendously, but I don’t like what

happened or his post-round interview. I wasn’t impressed with how he handled the situation and what he said.

“It’s a breach of the rules. He didn’t want the ball to roll down the hill behind the bunker where he wouldn’t have a shot so preferred to take the two-shot penalty and hit the ball on the move. That’s