Crowd concerns for Van de Velde

Jean Van de Velde kept alive his hopes of returning to the Open Championship with a two-under-par 70 in final qualifying at Hillside today – and was then promised protection for the second round.

The 42-year-old Frenchman, who has played only three Opens since his unforgettable last-hole collapse at Carnoustie in 1999, complained about the absence of crowd control.

“At the end of the day it’s a job here,” he said after being told by a Royal and Ancient Club official that six marshals would be following his group with a rope tomorrow.

“It’s great that lots of people want to watch, but when they get in the way it’s difficult. We couldn’t even stand on one tee and my caddie had to sort it out.”

Even with 96 players battling for just four Open places at each of the three courses, Van de Velde opted for this route rather than last Monday’s qualifier at Sunningdale because that was 36 holes in one day and he also does not agree with it being the day after the French Open.

As it was, he arrived in Southport at around midnight after driving up from the European Open in Kent, where he finished joint 33rd.

Van de Velde missed out on trying to qualify for a return to Carnoustie a year ago because of ill-health. He was even tested for bone cancer during the week of the event, but it is now thought it was a virus and he is back to health.

His playing partner Danny Willett, the former amateur world number one, holed from off the green at the last to return a 70 as well.

Fellow English professional Jamie Elson led with a five-under-par 67 which included a hole-in-one on the 170-yard seventh, but former Ryder Cup Scot Andrew Coltart dropped three late shots for a 72.