LEE WESTWOOD was stunned when Santiago Tarrio won the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship with a BACKWARDS shot.

The Spaniard finished in T68 overall at Sunday's end, but he still impressed Westwood with his bunker shot.

Tarrio couldn't hit his tee into the right green-side bunker at the 17th hole, the par three.

The 31-year-old Spaniard stepped up to chip out from the bunker facing AWAY.

He executed the shot flawlessly, chipping the ball into the air and sailing backwards to land just a few yards from the hole.

Westwood was so shocked that he posted the photo on Twitter and wrote: "That is amazing @santi_tarrio!" !"

Another fan can be heard in the background exclaiming "Oh my goodness!"

Tarrio was also rightfully proud of his efforts, raising his arms high, bowing in front of the crowd, and nodding to the crowd after he had pulled off the insane chip shot.

Another stunned observer gushed on social networking: "Unbelievable to do that during a round!"

Another person summarized the situation perfectly with "This is amazing."

Tarrio's joy was short-lived as he MISSED his close range putt for Par after his fantastic set-up shot.

It was a disappointing weekend for World No87 who ended on 7+.

He did end the tournament with a magnificent trick shot, however.

Phil Mickleson, a three-time Masters winner, has used the same technique before and is described by Golf.com as an "innovator" of the backwards bunker shot.