1999 Open Championship

Van de Velde was ranked 152 in the world, and with only one previous European Tour victory, when he nearly achieved an upset victory at the 1999 Open Championship at Carnoustie.^[8][9] Going into the final round, he held a five shot lead over Justin Leonard and Craig Parry.^[10] Van de Velde arrived at the 18th tee with a three shot lead, needing only a double bogey six to become the first Frenchman since 1907 to win a major golf tournament. He had played error-free golf for much of the week and birdied the 18th hole in two previous rounds at the tournament.

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 the playoff.^[11][12]

The performance has become infamous in professional golf history.^[8][9] ESPN once called it the "biggest collapse" in golf,^[13] and in 2016 ranked it 13th on its list of 25 worst collapses in sports history.^[10] USA Today ranked it 4th in 2016 on its list of worst collapses in sports.^[14] His journey is profiled in the 2019 docu-series, "Losers," produced and aired on Netflix.

1999 Ryder Cup

Van de Velde represented Europe, automatically selected by ranking points, at the 1999 Ryder Cup at The Country Club, Brookline, Massachusetts. European team captain Mark James chose not to play van de Velde (or other rookies Jarmo Sandelin and Andrew Coltart) on the first two days, and all three debuted during the single matches on the final day. Van de Velde, Sandelin and Coltart came to face the three, at the time, highest ranked U.S. players, Davis Love III, David Duval and Tiger Woods. Van de Velde lost 6 and 5 against Love and Team Europe lost the Ryder Cup 14¹⁄₂–13¹⁄₂, despite leading by four points going into the final day.^[15][16]

Later career

Van de Velde played on the PGA Tour in 2000 and 2001. He finished tied 2nd at the 2000 Touchstone Energy Tucson Open and 2nd at the 2000 Reno–Tahoe Open, losing in a play-off.^[17]

In the new millennium, Van de Velde was troubled by injuries for several years. He injured his knee while skiing in 2003, needing an operation. 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, 13 years after his first one, at the Madeira Island Open Caixa Geral de Depositos. With a three-stroke lead entering the last hole, van de Velde made a double bogey on the 72nd hole, but still finished with a 68 to win by a shot.^[18]

In 2016, van de Velde turned 50 and became eligible for senior tournaments, returning to Carnoustie for the 2016 Senior Open Championship, played to Carnoustie, site of his 1999 runner-up finish. Van de Velde missed the cut by nine shots after shooting 83–74.^[2]

In 2018, he played ten tournaments on the European Senior Tour, finishing 52nd on the Order of Merit.^[2]

European Tour wins (2)

More information No., Date ...

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

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European Tour playoff record (1–2)

More information No., Year ...

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

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Other wins (5)

• 1988 UAP European Under-25 Championship
• 1995 Grand Prix PGA France
• 1996 Grand Prix PGA France
• 1998 Championnat de France Pro
• 1999 Championnat de France Pro

Summary

• Most consecutive cuts made – 3 (1999 Open Championship – 2000 Masters)
• Longest streak of top-10s – 1