- By Alistair Tait
- January 18, 2010 11:29 a.m.
- Follow Me: Twitter @GolfweekTait
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EmailJean Van de Velde says his future is in Asia. However, he will have to chart another course in 2010 after failing to earn an Asian Tour card.
Van de Velde, the Frenchman known more for an epic collapse on golf’s grandest stage than for his two European Tour victories, missed by three shots Jan. 16 in Q-School at Hua Hin, Thailand.
“My wife and kids are based in Hong Kong, and Asia is where my life is now,’’ said Van de Velde, 43, who played the European Tour last year on sponsor exemptions. “After playing 20 years in Europe, I decided that it is time to do something different.’’
Van de Velde finished second in the 1999 British Open, losing a three-shot lead on Carnoustie’s final hole. After surrendering his Euro card in 2008, he made 5 of 16 cuts last year, finishing 230th on the money list, with 29,764 euros.
Filipino Artemio Murakami shot 12-under 275, then defeated the Netherlands’ Guido Van der Valk in a playoff to win Asian Tour Q-School. Americans Matthew Rosenfeld, Sean Shahi, David Johnson, Corey Harris and Ben Fox were among the 46 players who earned cards.
