Phil Mickelson's attempt to play right-handed from under a fence backfires at Bay Hill

Phil Mickelson left the Sky Sports commentary team baffled by his decision to hack his ball back into play, right-handed, from under a fence at Bay Hill

Phil Mickelson left the Sky Sports commentary team baffled and bemused by his audacious attempt to hack his ball back into play - right-handed - from under a fence at Bay Hill.

Mickelson was in good shape midway through his first round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational as four birdies in six holes took him to the turn in three under, but he then blocked his tee shot way left at the par-four 10th.

Image: Mickelson had earlier cruised to three under midway through his first round

His ball stopped an inch or two short of the out-of-bounds line, under a netted fence, and it looked certain that he would have to take a penalty drop for an unplayable lie.

But "Phil the Thrill" had other ideas and, to the amazement of on-course commentator Wayne Riley, he took a few right-handed practice swings with a short-iron turned back-to-front, ignoring the possible injury threat posed by a fence post obstructing his follow-through.

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Mickelson certainly did not hold back on the shot and he was sure he had made clean contact, but after asking "where did it go", it became evident that his ball became entangled in the netting and dropped back into the rough - this time on the wrong side of the fence!

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His error of judgement would eventually lead to a double-bogey six, while Mark Roe insisted the veteran was fortunate to avoid injury while attempting to pull off such an outlandish shot - even by his standards!

Brandt Snedeker produced a remarkable recovery shot from the stand to the right of the ninth green at Bay Hill, managing to clip a wedge over the seats to 20 feet!

Meanwhile, Brandt Snedeker ran the risk of ending his first round with a big number when he blocked his approach to the ninth - his 18th - into the stands to the right of the green.

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But rather than take a free drop in the rough, and behind a tree, Snedeker managed to clip a superb wedge over the seats and onto the green, 20 feet beyond the pin, although he was unable to make the par putt.

Watch the video above to see how Mickelson's right-handed escape attempt backfired at Bay Hill, while Snedeker had more success from the stand! Live coverage continues on Sky Sports Golf.

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