PHIL NEEDED TO EXPLAIN..

PADRAIG HARRINGTON says close friend Phil Mickelson should have put his hands up after his US Open meltdown and told the USGA: “Shinnecock Hills got to me.”

Condemnation greeted the American’s decision to stop his moving ball on the 13th green (inset) at the New York venue which was branded “farcical” for its tough set-up.

Mickelson (above right) took a two-shot penalty but many felt he should have been disqualified for lack of respect.

Harrington (above left) said: “You don’t want to defend the indefensible, it wasn’t a nice thing to see and it shouldn’t have happened.

“It would have been simpler for Phil if he had come out and said, ‘The place got to me, I made a crazy error of judgement’. We all would have accepted that. It was a complete moment of madness. I wouldn’t advocate it being allowed to happen again.” While Harrington has one eye on fine-tuning his game ahead of The Open at Carnoustie later this month, he likes his odds in Donegal this week.

While keen to stress he’s not permitted to offer “gambling advice”, he admits 66/1 is good value on his favoured links. He said: “66/1? The bookies don’t normally get it wrong. That would be a reasonable price on a parkland course but on a links course? That’s a surprise.

“I enjoy the aesthetics of a parkland course more but clearly I have a competitive advantage when it comes to links golf. I’ve played it all my life and can see the shots. It wouldn’t take much for me to move into the form to be in contention.”