Jean Van de Velde has revealed that he has had tests for bone cancer as he seeks the cause of the illness which ended his chances of returning to the scene of his Open Championship heartbreak in 1999.

Van de Velde started feeling ill after the Portuguese Open in April and has already undergone numerous tests, the most recent of which took place in Biarritz today.

The 41-year-old was unable to compete in Open qualifying because of the problem and earlier this month made the “bitterly disappointing” decision that he was not fit enough for last week’s Scottish Open, an event that would have given him a last crack at winning his place at Carnoustie.

In 1999, Van de Velde led by three standing on the final tee and was poised to become France’s first winner of the Claret Jug since 1907, but in dramatic fashion he ran up a triple-bogey seven to fall into a tie with Paul Lawrie and Justin Leonard and lost the play-off to Lawrie.

“I went into an exam today where they inject you and after they look to see if you have any structural problem with your bone; basically if you have any bone cancer,” Van de Velde explained in a telephone interview.

“On Thursday I’m undergoing another procedure to find out what happened to me and what can be done and needs to be addressed.

“I don’t want to waste any time. I want to get back in shape and I want to play golf.”

The idea of giving Van de Velde a wild card had been mooted but was turned down by the R&A, chief executive Peter Dawson admitting it was “emotionally tempting” but adding it would not be fair “to anyone else if we start to issue invitations.

This is the Open Championship and people earn their way in by exemption or qualification”.

Asked if he would have been able to accept such an offer, Van de Velde added: “I’m pretty sure that I would have honoured the invite because of all the memories that it brings back.

“But saying that, would I have been able to compete? I would say that 99% the answer would be no.

“I am absolutely devastated, I’m very sad that I’m not there this week. But you should have all been with me from 8am this morning until midday when I left the hospital.

“What right do I have to be complaining? Carnoustie, it’s great, but there’s going to be another one (tournament) next week and another one (Open) next year. I know that inside me I will hopefully be able to be at another Open Championship. I don’t feel like I have the right to be complaining too much.

“I will sit in front of the TV and watch. I never watch golf on TV but this one I’m definitely going to look at. I’m very sad I’m not there but I want to look at it and put it behind me.”

Van de Velde admits he does get tired of being asked about the 18th hole in the final round eight years ago, and revealed it was his third shot he would replay, rather than the much-criticised drive from the tee and attempt to reach the green in two.

After an errant drive which finished in a great lie near the 17th tee, Van de Velde chose to go for the green with a two iron rather than lay up short, only for the ball to ricochet off a grandstand and back into deep rough.

From there he hacked his third shot into the Barry Burn, taking off his shoes and socks and wading into the water as he contemplated playing out of the water.

In the end he took a penalty drop, found a greenside bunker with his fifth shot and did well to get up and down for a seven.

“To be really honest, of course you get tired, especially when you have to answer the same question over and over,” he added. “But it’s fine. I think it’s going to last a good 15 to 20 years before people stop asking me questions.

“I have no regrets today. I’ve said it many times. We can go back down that route and talk about it again and again and again. But the third shot would be the one I would replay.”

Van de Velde lost his European Tour card following two knee operations four years ago, but regained it with a second-place finish in the 2005 French Open and then in March last year ended 13 years without a victory at the Madeira Island Open.

He began feeling ill in April and finally spoke publicly about the situation on the eve of the French Open at the end of June.

“I’ve been physically sick on occasions, including on the course during the Wales Open,” he said. “I’ve had several tests already and they thought at first it might be a liver complaint which my father has also suffered from.

“That could have meant draining half a litre of blood every week for a while, but the latest test came back negative.

“I have some good days and some bad days. The specialist thinks it could be either a virus or an infection. There’s no problem with my game technically, but I find that I hit about 30 balls and then have to stop as I’m tired.”

Source - www.sportinglife.com