Quick Facts
Biography
Jean van de Velde (born 29 May 1966) is a French professional golfer. He was born in Mont-de-Marsan, Landes, France. van de Velde turned professional in 1987 and his rookie season on the European Tour was 1989. His first European Tour win was the 1993 Roma Masters. He has twice finished in the top twenty of the Order of Merit. He came close to winning The Open Championship in 1999, but lost a three shot lead on the final hole. He played on the PGA Tour in 2000 and 2001.
1999 Open Championship
Van de Velde nearly achieved an upset victory at the 1999 Open Championship at Carnoustie, when he was the clear leader playing the closing holes. He arrived at the 18th tee needing only a double bogey six to become the first Frenchman since 1907 to win a major tournament. He had played error-free golf for much of the week and birdied the 18th hole in two previous rounds.
Van de Velde chose to use his driver off the tee, and he drove the ball to the right of the burn, where he was lucky to find land. Rather than laying up and hitting the green with his third, Van de Velde decided to go for the green with his second shot. His shot drifted right, ricocheted backwards off the railings of the grandstands by the side of the green, landed on top of the stone wall of the Barry Burn and then bounced fifty yards backwards into knee-deep rough.
On his third shot, Van de Velde's club got tangled in the rough on his downswing, and his ball flew into the Barry Burn, a water hazard. He removed his shoes and socks and stepped through shin-deep water as he debated whether to try to hit his ball out of the Barry Burn, which guards the 18th green. Ultimately, he took a drop and then hit his fifth shot into the greenside bunker. Van de Velde shot to within six feet from the hole, and made the putt for a triple-bogey seven, dropping him into a three-way playoff with Justin Leonard and Paul Lawrie. Lawrie won in the playoff.
Later career
In the new millennium, Van de Velde was troubled by injuries for several years, but he made a comeback at the 2005 Open de France, where he lost a playoff to fellow Frenchman Jean-François Remésy after, once again, finding water on the last hole. In 2006, he won his second European Tour title at the Madeira Island Open Caixa Geral de Depositos.
In 2012 he was named by UNICEF France as an ambassador – only the second French sportsman, after Lilian Thuram, to achieve this.
Amateur wins (3)
- 1985 French Youths Championship
- 1986 French Youths Championship, French Amateur Championship
Professional wins (7)
European Tour wins (2)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | To par | Margin of victory | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 18 Apr 1993 | Roma Masters | 66-76-67-72=281 | –7 | Playoff | Greg Turner |
| 2 | 26 Mar 2006 | Madeira Island Open Caixa Geral de Depositos | 69-65-71-68=273 | –15 | 1 stroke | Lee Slattery |
European Tour playoff record (1–2)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1993 | Roma Masters | Greg Turner | Won with par on third extra hole |
| 2 | 1999 | The Open Championship | Paul Lawrie, Justin Leonard | Lawrie won four-hole aggregate playoff; Lawrie: E (5-4-3-3=15), Leonard: +3 (5-4-4-5=18), van de Velde: +3 (6-4-3-5=18) |
| 3 | 2005 | Open de France | Jean-François Remésy | Lost to double-bogey on first extra hole |
Other wins (5)
- 1988 UAP Under-25s Championship
- 1995 French PGA Championship
- 1996 French PGA Championship
- 1998 Championnat de France Pro
- 1999 Championnat de France Pro
Playoff record
PGA Tour playoff record (0–2)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1999 | The Open Championship | Paul Lawrie, Justin Leonard | Lawrie won four-hole aggregate playoff Lawrie:15, Leonard:18, van de Velde:18 |
| 2 | 2000 | Reno-Tahoe Open | Scott Verplank | Lost to birdie on fourth extra hole |
Results in major championships
| Tournament | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | |||||||||
| U.S. Open | |||||||||
| The Open Championship | CUT | T34 | T38 | CUT | T2 | ||||
| PGA Championship | T26 |
| Tournament | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | T19 | ||||||||
| U.S. Open | CUT | T45 | |||||||
| The Open Championship | T31 | CUT | CUT | T19 | |||||
| PGA Championship | T30 |
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied
Summary
| Tournament | Wins | 2nd | 3rd | Top-5 | Top-10 | Top-25 | Events | Cuts made |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| U.S. Open | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| The Open Championship | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 5 |
| PGA Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Totals | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 14 | 9 |
- Most consecutive cuts made – 3 (1999 Open Championship – 2000 Masters)
- Longest streak of top-10s – 1
Team appearances
Amateur
- Eisenhower Trophy (representing France): 1986
- St Andrews Trophy (representing the Continent of Europe): 1986
Professional
- World Cup (representing France): 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2006
- Alfred Dunhill Cup (representing France): 1990, 1992, 1994, 1997, 1998, 1999
- Ryder Cup (representing Europe): 1999
- Seve Trophy (representing Continental Europe): 2000 (winners), 2011 (non-playing captain)
