INTERVIEW-Golf-Stronger Van de Velde back in British Open fold

By Norman Dabell

CROWLAND, England, July 10 (Reuters) - Jean Van de Velde's 'affaire d'amour' with the British Open will continue next week after the Frenchman proved he was over a career-threatening illness by qualifying for the third major of the year.

The 42-year-old is renowned for losing a British Open rather than winning one.

Last year Van de Velde was upset at being unable to revisit Carnoustie, the scene of his 72nd-hole triple-bogey and subsequent playoff defeat by Paul Lawrie in 1999.

Any lingering hopes of a happier ending at the Scottish links course in the 2007 edition were dashed by a debilitating virus which laid him low for much of the season and prevented him trying to qualify.

Now Van de Velde, whose career was also put on hold between 2002 and 2005 because of a serious knee injury, is back and raring to go again.

"Last year was highly disappointing so it's great this year I'm feeling good and have a chance to play the Open again," Van de Velde told Reuters on Thursday in a telephone interview from the Scottish Open at Loch Lomond.

"I had a form of glandular fever, a virus I'd had in the past and normally you can't contract it twice. My doctor said it was a very interesting case.

"I said it might be interesting but not to me."