Jean Van de Velde is still looking for a place in The Open with less than two weeks to go - but he has the chance to not leave it quite so late as last year.

The 43-year-old, destined to be best remembered for his closing triple-bogey seven when three clear at Carnoustie 10 years ago, resumed the French Open Alstom on four under par at Le Golf National near Paris on Friday.

That put Van de Velde in joint ninth spot, five behind German Martin Kaymer, but even if he finishes the event in fifth place on Sunday that could be enough to earn him the Open exemption up for grabs.

A year ago he finished joint 19th at Birkdale, but only after making a birdie on the last hole of the final qualifying event the week before.

That route is still open to him this time, but Van de Velde has a tee-off time just before 9am next Monday at Glasgow Gailes - and he is not sure if he will be able to get there.

The fact that the 36-hole qualifier is being staged in Scotland the day after his national championship does not best please him, and he cheekily suggested that the Open organisers could do something for all those going from one to the other.

Double Masters champion Jose Maria Olazabal and his former Ryder Cup team-mates Phillip Price, Barry Lane and Per-Ulrik Johansson, plus ex-European Open champion Kenneth Ferrie, are also facing the same trip.

"Maybe the R&A (Royal and Ancient Club) are going to charter us a jet to fly into Prestwick," Van de Velde said.

"I'm being a little bit sarcastic. I'm old enough and mature enough to know there are some fights you can't win.

"I haven't booked a flight and I'm going to wait and see what's going on here."

What went on on Thursday was that 24-year-old Kaymer, already exempt for Turnberry, equalled the course record with his nine-under-par 62.

That gave the German a three-stroke lead over Swede Peter Hanson, Thai Thongchai Jaidee, Argentina's Rafa Echenique, Australian Scott Strange and England's John Bickerton.

Echenique is the player who made an albatross two on the final hole in Munich on Sunday to finish just a stroke behind Nick Dougherty, while Bickerton won the French title three years ago.

Padraig Harrington was runner-up to him and has, of course, gone on to win back-to-back Opens and the US PGA.

Harrington was trying to avoid a fifth successive missed cut, something that would deliver another big blow to his hopes of making it a hat-trick in a fortnight.