Golf Madeira Islands Open:Jean Van de Velde celebrates 20 years as a professional this season - and this week he finally gets the chance to defend a European Tour title. The French man's first full Tour win came in 1993 at the Rome Masters, but the event was never staged again.

And he should have been the defending champion in the 2000 British Open, but 12 months earlier at Carnoustie came that never-to-be-forgotten closing triple bogey and subsequent play-off loss to Paul Lawrie - his playing partner for the first two rounds this week.

Van de Velde's career was then in danger due to a skiing injury, but after two operations he ended 13 years without a win at Santo da Serra last year.

Peter Lawrie, Gary Murphy and David Higgins are the Irish competitors at the Madeira Islands Open.