Hi team

During a round last week, I pulled my second shot into a 12 foot hedge running lateraly towards the green, so I hit a provisional ball which landed on the green. After searching for 2 minutes my opponent found my ball which I now had to play which I dropped and hit back into the hedge , and ended up with a no return.
My question is this. At what point could I have claimed a lost ball and played my provisional.
If you think a ball may be lost and then hit a good provisional are you allowed to claim a lost ball straight away without looking for your first ball although this does not seem very sporting.

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STAN THE MAN