SANDWICH, ENGLAND -- Jean Van de Velde, meet Thomas Bjorn. Yesterday at the British Open, Bjorn joined that infamous cast of players who had a major championship in their grasp -- and let it slip away.

Van de Velde remains the chapter president. He went to the final hole of the 1999 Open with a three-stroke lead, made triple bogey and lost to Paul Lawrie in a three-way playoff.

Van de Velde was on hand at Royal St. George's as a television commentator, his career in shambles since that collapse at Carnoustie.

He could certainly relate to Bjorn, who had a two-shot lead with three holes to play, then gave it away with a horrific sequence at No. 16.

One shot out of the sand.

Then another.

And a third.

When it was over, Bjorn walked to 17 with a double-bogey 5, his lead swallowed up by the sand. When he made bogey at the next hole, his first major championship was gone, too.

Bjorn knew he had "one hand on the trophy and let it go."

Now, he's got to learn to live with it.

"I certainly feel like I deserve a little bit more than I got this week," the Dane said after finishing one stroke behind the winner, little-known American Ben Curtis. "I'm sure it's going to be tough the next few days."

Bjorn played as well as anyone on the lumps and hollows of Royal St. George's. He had made only two bogeys in 44 holes when he went to No. 15 at 4-under for the tournament.

Then came trouble. His tee shot skidded into a pot bunker, forcing him to hit out sideways just to get back on the fairway. He wound up taking bogey.

"Fifteen was the key more than anything," Bjorn said. "I hit a fairway bunker and all of a sudden I've let a three-shot lead go."

But bogey didn't seem so bad one hole later.

Then at 17, he drove into the rough, came up short of the green, chipped six feet past the cup and missed the putt. Essentially, the tournament was over. Only one player made birdie at the final hole all day.

"I am disappointed, but I have come a long way in three or four weeks," said Bjorn, who decided to rebuild his swing a month ago. "I played some of the best golf of my life this week."

HOLE OF THE DAY

Hole: 16

Yardage: 163

Par: 3

Stroke average: 3.27

Rank: Sixth

Key facts: Thomas Bjorn was holding a two-shot lead when he hit it into the sand, took three swings to get out -- the first two agonizingly rolling back off the green -- and ended up with a double-bogey. Vijay Singh made bogey on the same hole to drop a stroke behind.