Thomas Levet injured in victory plunge

Updated: July 5, 2011, 2:38 PM ET

By Bob Harig | ESPN.com

French golfer Thomas Levet might have reveled in victory too much after capturing his country's national championship on Sunday.

Levet suffered a broken bone in his shin when he jumped in a lake after winning the French Open at Le Golf National. The injury puts his participation in next week's British Open in jeopardy.

[+] Enlarge Thomas Levet

Stuart Franklin/Getty ImagesThomas Levet, foreground, fractured a bone in his leg in this victory leap at the French Open.

But despite the small fracture, Levet has not ruled himself out of the Open at Royal St. George's in Sandwich, England. He has, however, withdrawn from this week's Barclays Scottish Open, a tournament he won in 2004.

"Although he currently has a cast on his leg he will not withdraw from the Open Championship until he has received intensive treatment to the fracture and has consulted with a specialist again later this week," Levet's representatives at International Management Group said in a statement. "He will, of course, be doing everything he can to tee up at the Open Championship next week."

At the 2002 British Open at Muirfield, Levet was beaten by Ernie Els in an aggregate four-hole playoff.

Levet, 42, is a popular player who has played on the European Ryder Cup team. He is expected to get strong support for the captaincy when the event is played at Le Golf National in 2018.

Levet's victory on Sunday was his sixth on the European Tour and particularly special -- he won the tournament after first competing in it 25 years ago. Levet was ranked 352nd in the world heading into the event and trailed by three going into the final round before shooting a 1-under-par 71 to win by one stroke.

"The atmosphere today was great," Levet said after his win. "The people were going, 'allez, allez, allez,' and some of them go 'captain, captain.' I felt like one of the Tour de France riders climbing a mountain. You can tell your friends, 2018, France is ready."

Bob Harig is a golf writer for ESPN.com.