VAN DE VELDE BOOKS OPEN RETURN

By Mark Garrod, PA Sport Golf Correspondent Jean Van de Velde will be back in the Open next week, thanks to a last-hole birdie on Tuesday and the help of the crowd he had criticised 24 hours earlier. While playing partner Danny Willett, the former amateur world number one, missed out after a closing double-bogey six, Van de Velde survived the 36-hole final qualifying at Hillside by the skin of his teeth with a one under par total of 143. The 42-year-old, forever to be remembered for his last-hole triple-bogey seven at Carnoustie in 1999, pitched to within 18 inches of the flag on the 439-yard 18th. But that would have been of no use if his ball had not been found in dense rough right of the 17th fairway. "I might have taken eight on the hole, but managed to par it," said Van de Velde, who had asked for better control of the... [read full story]