Open Week, for Us Golf Addicts...

[motordavid]

And, after the chubby Lefty blows the Scot Open, what better
way to get things going this week than a story on the hard
times of Mr. Van de Velde...


The Mishaps Have Kept Coming for Van de Velde

By DAMON HACK
Published: July 16, 2007

CARNOUSTIE, Scotland, July 15 — Jean Van de Velde is honored at Carnoustie with a concrete marker buried in the ancient sod of the final hole, a reminder of one of golf’s greatest blunders and an apt symbol of a stalled career.

Jean Van de Velde is best known for losing the 1999 British Open after making a triple bogey on the 72nd hole at Carnoustie.




Now 41 and with his game in disrepair, Van de Velde will not even participate in this year’s British Open, the result of poor play and a recent stomach ailment that forced him to withdraw from a 36-hole qualifier.

He told reporters at the French Open last month that the injury had affected his play so much that “anybody seeing me would have thought I was drunk.”

In the eight years since Van de Velde frittered away a three-shot lead on the last hole of the 1999 British Open, he has remained on the fringes of success and has often been identified by stories of heartbreak.

Though he took his defeat in good cheer despite a triple bogey that included a shot off a grandstand and a pitch into the water, the years that have followed have not always been kind.

Van de Velde divorced, fired his caddie, and tore up his knee while skiing. He has since remarried, and he won the 2006 Madeira Island Open on the European Tour, but he has never won a major championship.

It is probable that he will live out his golfing days being remembered for his collapse at Carnoustie and little else.

“He’s handled it so well and so gracefully, and it was probably the best 71 holes in his career and the one worst in his career all wrapped up in one,” Jim Furyk said of Van de Velde during the AT&T National. “He’s had to live through it and he’s handled it like a champion. I wouldn’t be as graceful in handling that, I’ll promise you that, and I applaud him for that.”

In the immediate aftermath of the 1999 Open, Van de Velde was able to laugh at himself, but he has grown weary of talking about his infamy, at least at no charge.

Leading into this year’s British Open, he asked to be paid for being interviewed, the requests were so numerous.

Although he will be absent from the competition that begins Thursday, Van de Velde has played Carnoustie since his final-hole collapse.

In 2000, he appeared in an infomercial and used only his putter on the par-4, 487-yard finishing hole (it now plays 499 yards), trying to better his score from 1999.

On his third attempt, he faced a putt for a double-bogey 6. Van de Velde pulled back his blade, struck the ball and made it.
A year earlier, the double bogey would have given him the British Open title by one shot.

[noncom23]

Unfortunate, but this stuff happens so much in this game on so many levels. What a challenge it provides and at the same time, what a disappointment. I think of Greg Norman and his Masters fiasco...

[pseto]

I look forward to the British Open, I like that I can watch great golf as soon as I get up in the morning. Now I gotta find a way outta work.

[canamx5]

Did you see Watson in his last tourny? OUCH!

[noncom23]

Originally Posted by canamx5

Did you see Watson in his last tourny? OUCH!

Saw playback on that. Tough day at the office.

[haigha]

VdV handled his loss so well. Like Furyk said, a lot of us woudn't have.

I lost a Nassau to the biggest sandbagger at my club yesterday. Finished with a double then bogey for a 79 Fortunately it was $1/$1/$1. I wouldn't bet serious money against this guy. He and his group win almost every tournament even though the tournament committee make him play to a 3 or a 4 (he's currently a 9 ). One thing I noticed yesterday is he played from a wrong place after he went into a lateral hazard. Maybe that's how he wins

I'm looking forward to the Open in HD. Golf is amazing on the big screen in HD

Have you played the green tees lately mD?

[motordavid]

Phil,
Green Tees?! Those are for the really old guys...maybe you
meant the Blues/Black.

Me & theCEO played a rare afternoon twosome today and
I shot an 80, from the std Whites: my 2nd best round ever,
and my best round at LRCC! Had 11 GIR, 10 fairways,
hit the ball consistently, the best I ever have and
had 6 fookin 3 putts...(35 total, and I usually avg. 30 on
a "good round".)
But, estactic over the 80 for a 5th freakin year ol'bastard
chasing the ball.

The Frenchman has done well in living through it; I wasn't
beating on him by tossing up that art. As for Chubby Phil,
he has strange karma, imo. I look forward to watching,
but we don't have our big 60" Sony,NoBaloney HD set
here on the mtn, so it's "regular" big screen for me.

We have a collection of baggers here, too. My goal is
to play like a 12 and keep my 13.3/15 Home hdcp, lol!
Good to see you hanging around here, P!
BR,mD

[haigha]

Originally Posted by motordavid

Phil,
Green Tees?! Those are for the really old guys...maybe you
meant the Blues/Black.

Nope, I meant the green tees at LRCC. I'm not saying that you should always play them but for a change of scenery and strategy give'm a shot. See my post in the earlier thread for my further insights on this (Online Glasses, if I remember rightly). You must have missed it.

Congratulations on your 80 Those three putts will drive you nuts. I had one on the back nine and was even other than that until the double on 17. Usually putting is my favorite part of the game but yesterday I struggled with it and didn't make a single birdie.

[motordavid]

Haigha,
I remember your comment on moving up to see what happens...
I was jes' poking.

I wanted to do the std Mens' Whites, as we have the 4th leg
of our season long march for our "President's Cup" standings on
Thursday, so I didn't need to move up and get screwed up, lol.

I was eyeballing my card this eve, and I actually had 13 freakin
GIRs, including getting on in 2, at the par 5 #15.

I realize getting "on" sometimes makes for more putts as opposed
to my usual of chipping on and then 1 or 2 putting, but I really
putt better than today; course, I never hit the ball that well
all day, so something had to be haywire, lol!
It is an insidious but outfookinstanding game!
BR,mD

[haigha]

mD,

One of the fun parts about the forward tees is figuring out what club to hit off the tee. Your forward tees are a little more extreme than ours. That may be demanded by the layout to make the course playable for the old guys. Anyway, try it out when you play with the CEO. You may find it an enjoyable diversion. I try to go back or forward from the regular tees about one out of every three rounds.

Occasionally, I play with the old guys who have the first tee time on Fridays. Two of them are 83, one is 90 and the young one is 79. All but the ninety year-old walk and one even carries his clubs. They have some great stories including WWII ones.

I had 28 putts but only 7 GIRs on Sunday. Got up and down 7 times too but I had two doubles that should have been bogeys. The big difference in my game this year is that I can get up and down more. My full iron shots are a little loose but getting better.

Phil