Lefty plays lob shot over own head

ByBOB HARIG
July 10, 2014, 1:24 PM

— -- ABERDEEN, Scotland -- The video of Phil Mickelson hitting a shot over his head has already gone viral.

Mickelson was playing a practice round Monday at Royal Aberdeen Golf Club in advance of the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open, which begins Thursday.

As is often the case, Mickelson decided to try a shot in which he has a greenside lie, the ball slightly uphill. Instead of taking his stance and aiming toward the hole, Mickelson aims away from the hole and hits a flop shot which goes over his head -- essentially backward.

He executed it perfectly, with the ball coming to rest just a few feet from the hole.

Mickelson did it a similar trick before last year's Open Championship at Muirfield -- and went on to win the tournament.

"I was messing around on the 17th green at Muirfield doing that and it was a good omen," Mickelson said. "So I was playing a practice round with a young player, Matt Ford, and we were messing around and hit a few of those and I kind of thought it was a good omen from last year."

Mickelson is the defending champion of both the Scottish Open and the Open Championship.