The PGA Tour veteran sent his shot wide to the right of the 14th fairway in the opening round of the Australian PGA Championship in Brisbane and his ball didn’t fall back to earth from the top of the tree.

Vegas eventually spotted his uniquely marked ball after doing some digging in the branches with a club, about two metres above ground level, before an official scaled the trunk to retrieve it for the player.

Incurring a one-shot penalty, Vegas was allowed two club lengths for a drop.

But that wasn't enough to avoid the imposing, outstretched roots of the huge tree.

Vegas, who has just returned after a long lay-off following shoulder surgery, did well to avoid the roots with his swing, scrambling his next shot towards the hole.

He eventually settled for a double bogey, finishing with two birdies and a bogey across the last four holes to card an eventful two-over 73 to be 10 strokes behind first round leader Span’s Joel Moscatel Nachshon.

– Murray Wenzel