The mystery problem, which has been of concern to the 41-year-old Frenchman for two months, has now brought his withdrawal at Sunningdale - and he may be out of golf for the rest of the summer.

In three weeks' time the Open returns to the Carnoustie course on which Van de Velde became world famous in 1999, but not in the way he had hoped.

Van de Velde led by three standing on the final tee and was poised to become France's first winner of the Claret Jug since 1907, but in dramatic fashion he ran up a triple-bogey seven to fall into a tie with Paul Lawrie and Justin Leonard and lost the play-off to Lawrie.

Meanwhile, a number of withdrawals have brought Ian Woosnam into the 120-strong field for the Open Championship qualifier at Sunningdale on Monday.