Despite a stumble at the final hole, Jean Van de Velde ended a 13 year wait for his second European Tour title when he won the Madeira Island Open Caixa Geral de Depositos. Van de Velde held a four stroke lead standing on the 72nd tee, but the man who is renowned for taking a triple-bogey at the last to subsequently end his 1999 Open Championship chances, double bogeyed Santo da Serra Golf Club's 18th. He still, though, had a shot to spare to avoid a play-off with England’s Lee Slattery. A closing four under par 68 for a 15 under par 273 total, was a shot better than Slattery, who birdied the last just in front of Van de Velde, and two strokes better than Spain's Pedro Linhart.
Beginning the final round two strokes ahead of the field, Van de Velde hardly put a foot wrong as he picked up six birdies on the front nine at Santo da Serra, increasing his lead to five strokes. Two more birdies in five holes kept him well distanced from his rivals but then Van de Velde, who has battled back from a worrying knee injury to revive his career, stumbled, just as he did at the 18th at Le National last year before losing a play-off to compatriot Jean-Francois Remesy in the French Open.
His drive was wayward and then he found a grassy hollow with his second shot, fluffed his pitch still short of the green and then hit 15ft past the hole. Two putts to finish, though was just enough for the Frenchman, who insisted he always felt he had enough in hand.
"I was comfortable at the last and I just had to walk back up the hill but I made the walk interesting. I found the nastiest patch of grass on the whole course and I was lucky
to get it forward. But if I can't take three from 10 yards off the green there are going to be some questions asked; I knew a six was going to win it. I wasn't nervous. What happened many years ago was a freaky circumstance. And the 18th at Le National is 450 yards with water left, such a tough hole."
The former Ryder Cup player feared he might not play again after injuring his knee skiing and needing an operation in 2003 during a three-year period where he played only a handful of events. But last year he regained his card by virtue of his French Open second place and now his €116,660 victory, 13 years after claiming the Rome Masters title, earns him a further two years' exemption.
"Last year I was blessed to get my card back and this year I'm blessed to have it for another two years. It gives you a lot of oxygen to breathe and I can now take weeks off if
my knee gives me too much trouble."
Slattery, winner of the Challenge Tour Rankings in 2004 but without a full Tour card for this year, came back from two early bogeys to run in eight birdies in 11 holes and shoot a second consecutive 66 and show the kind of form that made him the undisputed Challenge Tour Number One two years ago
Linhart, the 1999 Madeira Island Open winner, missed an eight-foot putt on the last to deny himself a share of second place as he carded a 68.
