Sam talks to Jean van de Velde about his career in the game, which began as a six-year-old in Mont-de-Marsan, in the Pyrenees in south-west France. Growing up in the era of persimmon drivers and balata balls, Jean turned professional in 1987 and went on to compete at the highest level of the game for several decades. He is perhaps best known for his performance at the 1999 Open Championship at Carnoustie, where he slept on a five-shot lead going into the final round.

Jean has also been involved in the administration of the game and was instrumental in bringing The Ryder Cup to France in 2018.

A huge thank you to Jean for his time on the podcast. His reputation as one of the game’s great characters — and as a wonderfully honest, funny, and brilliant storyteller — remains fully intact after this epic episode.

Send us a message if you liked the show

If you've enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify!

You can follow us along below @cookiejargolf
Instagram / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Website