The return to Carnoustie for Jean van de Velde didn’t go all that well on Thursday but there was a shining moment on the final hole.
Yes, van de Velde finished his first day’s work with an 83 but if he had played the 18th in 1999 the way he did to finish his round, he would have had his name engraved on the Claret Jug’s band.
He was nine-over when he came to the scene of his world-famous collapse back in 1999. This time, he got it right.
His tee shot hooked left, not terribly, and he found himself with an iffy lie. He laid up from there then hit his third shot onto the green, 40 feet from the hole. He left his first putt five feet short then missed his bogey attempt. Still he tapped in for a double-bogey six and that would have given him the Open Championship 17 years ago.
Afterward, he was unshaken.
“The golf swing doesn’t want to produce anything,” he said. “Very rusty, not competitive whatsoever,” was how he assessed his day.
The Frenchman reminded us that tournament golf is a different animal.
“It’s different,” he said, “with a scorecard in your pocket.”
