Golf European and US ToursJean Van de Velde makes his latest comeback from adversity at today's European Masters at Crans-sur-Sierre, Switzerland, when he plays for the first time since his season ground to a halt in July through the effects of a virus.

The 41-year-old Frenchman, best known for triple-bogeying the 72nd hole at the 1999 British Open, has rekindled his career three times following a knee injury suffered in a 2002 skiing accident but came back to win the Madeira Island Open last year.

Van de Velde's progress in 2007 looked promising with three top-10s, including a fourth place in the Singapore Masters in March, but then his health deteriorated with joint pain and sickness, leaving him, in his own words, "a wreck on the golf course". "It's a virus called mononucleosis, the 'kissing virus' that young people get," Van de Velde said yesterday.

"I had it a very long time ago and it resurfaced. This time my antibodies didn't work. It's six months for it to go and I first started with it in March-April, so I'm pretty much over it now. I've also got too much iron in my blood and I still have stomach inflammation but that will go, too.

"It's so fantastic to lose the pain in my joints. I wasn't even able to carry my luggage. I was so weak and I couldn't go more than two holes without being sick."

Van de Velde has not ruled out making Europe's 2008 Ryder Cup team. "Now I'm back and I'm looking at making the Volvo Masters," he said. "The Ryder Cup? It's a funny old game. People might say I'm too old but I think I still have plenty of golf inside me."

Darren Clarke, Damien McGrane, Graeme McDowell and Peter Lawrie comprise the Irish challenge.

Meanwhile, Luke Donald has plenty of incentive to perform well at the BMW Championship at the Cog Hill club in Illinois - and not just because he is playing in his adopted home town.

This is the first week of Ryder Cup qualifying for the European team, and Donald has a chance to collect plenty of world-ranking points in the limited 66-man event near Chicago.

The 29-year-old has lived in the city since taking up a golf scholarship at Northwestern University a decade ago. "That's an added incentive to play well," he said. "The Ryder Cup is a huge deal to me. I've had two great Ryder Cups so far and I'd love to be a part of next year's also."

Donald is one of three British players in the field, joining Justin Rose and Ian Poulter. Only the top 30 players qualify for next week's Tour Championship, the final event of the four-tournament FedEx Cup series but 28th-ranked Donald is vulnerable unless he has a good week.

Phil Mickelson is skipping this week while Padraig Harrington also pulled out, citing fatigue.