Jean van de Velde has admitted he loves being back at Carnoustie Golf Links, despite the nature of his play-off defeat on the course in The 1999 Open Championship.
The Frenchman, who is set to compete in his first Senior Open Championship Presented by Rolex this week, famously found the Barry Burn that runs across the par four 18th in the final round 17 years ago, before losing out to Paul Lawrie for the Claret Jug.
However, van de Velde is full of admiration for the course and thinks the testing nature of the final four holes are key to its allure.
“From 15 onwards, it’s quite spectacular,” said van de Velde.
“I love being back here, but if you don’t save a lot of energy on the last four holes it will break you in two pieces. It’s a phenomenal golf course, but there’s no breather.”
The 50 year old hasn’t played on the European Tour since the 2011 Alstom Open de France, but is looking forward to testing himself on a course he believes is in perfect shape.
“The course is immaculate really and I’ve never played it without it being perfect.
“The greens are amazing, the fairways are spotless and everything is spectacular. It’s been amazing and I wonder how they can sustain it,” he added.
Because of his lack of playing time in recent years, van de Velde admits he is being realistic about his chances in his Senior Open debut.
“I’ve been hitting balls for the last three months and not on a daily basis, far from it,” the two-time European Tour winner revealed.
“It’s not good, but at least it’s going forward. It’s a work in progress.”
