London – France's Thomas Levet has withdrawn from the British Open due to the broken leg he suffered jumping into a lake to celebrate winning his home tournament on Sunday.
Minutes after winning the French Open in Saint Quentin last weekend, the 42-year-old Frenchman leapt into the water and suffered a small fracture to his shin.
“I am extremely disappointed to miss out on The Open Championship, but my specialist has advised me to have an operation on the fracture tomorrow morning,” Levet said on the European Tour website (www.europeantour.com).
“I will have screws and a plate inserted which will ensure that my shin recovers completely.
“I will be off for six weeks which is very bad timing, with so many important tournaments coming up.
“However, the wonderful memory of winning my national Open will definitely keep me going through my recovery.”
Last year's European Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie strongly criticised Levet and the practice of players jumping into water to celebrate victories.
“I think it is the silliest thing that players have done over the years,” he told reporters at the Scottish Open.
“I have always been suspect about people diving into lakes, not knowing how deep they are and what is in there.
“There could be something sharp. He was lucky it was only a leg injury. It is not the way to celebrate - taking the next three months off because you've hurt yourself.”
Levet, who lost a five-hole playoff to Ernie Els at the 2002 Open, will be replaced in the field for the July 14-17 major championship by American Robert Garrigus. – Reuters