Thanks Peter.
The code and the note about the Word Library is helpful!

In the meantime unfortunatelly this way the .doc opens as regular Word
file without linking/connecting to the MailMarge data in .xls - i.e.,
it has the fileds in the .doc but it's not a mail merge master file
anymore - i can't navigate between records nor merge to a new
document.

When i open the file manually (fileopen) then Word asks is if want to
run the SQL behind the word (to which i say Yes) and everything is
fine - it's a proper MM master file BUT when i open the word file from
VBA (not using the followhyperlink) then the file upon openning
doesn't prompt for that SQL anymore and it's not the MM masterfile
anymore...
Therefore i tried the followhyperlink that let's me open the file the
way i want BUT it stalls due to locking down the .xls (since i launch
the followhyperlink from the .xls).

Any ideas how to overcome the above?