Jacquelin suffers on the last

Eight years after Jean Van de Velde blew the Open with a closing triple-bogey seven, another Frenchman took eight on the same hole today.

Raphael Jacquelin was on the leaderboard at one under after 17, but then sent two three-woods over the out-of-bounds fence left of the fairway.

The 33-year-old from Lyon then changed clubs, found the same greenside bunker that Van de Velde was eventually in – and like his compatriot got up and down.

“That’s golf,” said Jacquelin. “The first three-wood was a bit unlucky, but we knew we could not miss left. The rest was pretty consistent and I had a great feeling on the greens, but it shows what can happen.”

Asked if it was possible for a French player not to think of Van de Velde when they play the 18th at Carnoustie Jacquelin replied: “Not today”.

Van de Velde, of course, did not go out of bounds once for his seven. His second rebounded off the grandstand into dense rough, from where he chipped into the Barry Burn, then took a penalty drop and then went into the sand.

He got up and down to be in the play-off with Paul Lawrie and Justin Leonard, but Lawrie won and France’s wait for a successor to 1907 Open champion Arnaud Massy and now reached 100 years.

Thomas Levet also went close in 2002, but lost a five-hole play-off to Ernie Els at Muirfield.