Levet says he's out of British Open

SANDWICH, England, July 6 (UPI) -- Frenchman Thomas Levet, who broke his leg celebrating his French Open win, officially withdrew Wednesday from next week's British Open.

On Tuesday, Levet had withdrawn from this week's Barclays Scottish Open but the 42-year-old player had held out hope he might compete at Royal St. George. A day later, however, he said he now expects to be out of competition for several weeks.

"I'm extremely disappointed to miss out on the Open championship, but my specialist has advised me to have an operation on the fracture," Levet said in a statement released by the European Tour.

"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!"

American Robert Garrigus will take his spot in the British Open field.