Phil Mickelson tried to hit his famous backwards shot at The Barclays and it almost worked
Phil Mickelson has never been afraid to attempt a risky shot on the golf course. So when he found himself in a sticky situation on the final hole at The Barclays on Saturday, he decided to unleash his most popular trick shot, the backwards flop.
Mickelson found himself on the slope of a deep bunker next to the 18th green and what would have been a nearly impossible shot. So instead of facing the hole, Mickelson turned around, used a lofted club, and hoped the combination of the loft of the club and the steep slope would actually propel the ball back over his head and onto the green.
It almost worked.
The ball ended up in the bunker.
To give a sense of just how deep the bunker was and what Mickelson was dealing with, here is the view of Mickelson on the subsequent shot from the bunker.
Despite the miss on the backwards shot, Mickelson put his next shot within three feet of the hole and saved par. He finished the tournament at 1-over.
The backwards shot has worked for Mickelson in the past during an instructional video and also during a practice round at the British Open in 2013.
Here is what it looks like when it goes as planned.
At the time, Business Insder's Jay Yarrow put together this graphic to show exactly what Mickelson is attempting with this shot.
