Jean Van de Velde

For Jean Van de Velde, the 128th Open Championship will always be a case of what might have been. 

Van de Velde was ranked 152nd in the world when he arrived at Carnoustie in 1999, so it was something of a shock when he held a five-shot lead over Justin Leonard and Craig Parry heading into the final round.

His cushion over second place had been reduced to three shots ahead of the 72nd, a hole he had birdied in the two previous rounds, but he was still well placed to become only the second Frenchman to claim the Claret Jug.

The pressure soon told, however, and a triple-bogey seven - which included the iconic sight of Van de Velde taking his shoes and socks off as he debated whether to try and hit the ball out of the Barry Burn - pulled him into a four-hole, three-way play-off with Leonard and Paul Lawrie.

Much to the delight of the home crowd, it was Lawrie who emerged triumphant, with Van de Velde finishing three shots back.

Ironically, he shot a bogey five at the final play-off hole, the 18th, which would have been enough for victory a few hours earlier.

His best major finish thereafter came at The Masters in 2000, when he finished tied for 19th.

Van de Velde was named as an ambassador for UNICEF France in 2012 - only the second French sportsman, after World Cup-winning footballer Lilian Thuram, to achieve this.