"The Sun", "Sun", "Sun Online" are registered trademarks or trade names of News Group Newspapers Limited. But the chain-smoking imposter was not about to give up on his dream of lifting the tournaments famous Claret Jug trophy when the event was held that year at Southports Royal Birkdale Golf Club. For a someone who couldnt hit his hat, Maurice Flitcroft has certainly left a lasting legacy, #JustSaying: The Championship Committee reserves the right to disqualify any competitors making a false statement on his entry form. R&A policy post Flitcroft. Maurice just didn't want to do it. Then on the Saturday The Sun had a banner headline that Maurice Flitcroft shot 121 in the Open. That he had lost every hole in our game never got a mention, either from me or from him. So began a round in which he was at sixes and sevens while his playing companions were silently critical. Click here and subscribe for just $48 (20% off). Maurice Flitcroft was not a golfer, but that didnt stop him trying to qualify for golfs most famous tournament. He entered as a professional, which he decidedly was not. A new television set with a remote control changes his fate. Mark Rylance (centre), plays Maurice Flitcroft in The Phantom of The Open, which was written by Simon Farnaby (left), and directed by Craig Roberts (right). 'The Phantom of the Open' Brings Maurice Flitcroft's Amusing, Inspiring Story to Big Screen New movie, based off a book by the same name, chronicles a British What is more, a belly full of media interviews had hardly made him feel any better. Buddy Whitten, Blythefield's head pro stated that, "It started as a lark, but most people can't break 90 so they relate more to Maurice than they would to a touring pro." Henrik Stenson was emerging from a previous showing when I arrived at the theatre. Weve long been fans of Maurice Flitcrofts extraordinary story here at Todays Golfer. [8] Flitcroft had golfing ambitions well above his ability and came to notoriety in 1976 when, posing as a professional golfer, he managed to obtain a place to play in the qualifying round of The Open Championshipdespite his previous experience amounting only to some hacking around on playing fields near his home. If Tiger Woods can do that, I dont need to feel bad about Maurice G. Flitcroft doing that! Oscar-winning actor Mark Rylance (pictured) plays Flitcroft, while actor and filmmaker Craig Roberts is the films director. The great day arrived, and the enormity of the occasion began to hit him when a car-park attendant ushered him into a space in the competitors carpark. If this wasn't enough, another green had a 12-inch (300mm) cup. Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume. Undeterred by failure (and a lifetime ban), he re-enters under a fresh alias, donning a French accent and a moustache. He wouldnt be shamed for that and thats an important lesson, especially for young people. Your email address will not be published. He tried to play a hand other than what was dealt to him. In the 70's there was a big shipyard there and that was the only job. Isobel Waller-Bridges fizzy, hopeful score bolsters the optimistic mood. It was a pity they missed the par-four second. Its imaginative delivery and superb acting are an absolute joy to behold. Farnaby wrote the screenplay. I love that about him as well, but just the sheer fearlessness I suppose. They were vintage, though, and probably worth something now. Flitcroft spoke at the dinner. in a recent interview on the PGA website. A limo picked them up. As it happens, my wife Nell is from Grand Rapids. 10K views 10 months ago. The next problem had to do with the venue. Well, it was the first film I made during the pandemic in 2020. Maurice also tried to disguise his now famous face. We were annoyed about that growing up. Undeterred, Maurice practised hitting balls along his local beach, in the park, on school grounds and sometimes by sneaking on to courses at night. They'd call him shipyard fodder. Based on the biography from Simon Farnaby, The Phantom of the Open tells the hilarious and truly heartwarming story of a kind man brimming with optimism. The golfer was the Englishman Maurice Flitcroft (somehow the perfect name for such a fellow) who became the star of qualifying rounds for the British Open, starting in 1976 at Formby Golf Club for the upcoming championship at Royal Liverpool. And so is the film. The Phantom Of The Open opens in cinemas on March 18, 2022 and tells the true story of Maurice Flitcroft, a crane worker from Barrow-in-Furness, who despite never having played a round of golf in his life, decided to enter the British Golf Open in 1976 as a professional. But his son James, 59, tells The Sun that Maurice was not one to throw in the towel, saying: One of his problems was that he wouldnt give up. Flitcroft, Moore said, was a big hit with the audience. And, I expect, Rylance as Flitcroft will be a big hit with anybody who sees the film and I hope it itself is a big hit. 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The very name Flitcroft might still be enough to prompt the odd heart attack among R&A personnel. To see all content on The Sun, please use the Site Map. He had a dream and he was inspired by it. In 2017 comedian and writer Simon Farnaby, who co-wrote a biography of Flitcroft, stated that he was writing a film script based on the book. [6] The Phantom of the Open, directed by Craig Roberts, starring Mark Rylance and Sally Hawkins, opened at the London Film Festival in October 2021 before a wider release in March 2022. (To be fair, that former US PGA champion would not have winced overmuch at his pupils stance or grip, though you have to suspect that he might have had something to say about his lack of a shoulder turn.). That was an incredible experience. The second act documents their financial hardships. The chain-smoking crane driver made countless disastrous attempts to qualify for golfs most famous tournament despite never having played a round of golf before. He humorously recalls growing up during World War II when dreams of fancy were put on hold. Flitcroft kept trying to pull off his hoax in qualifying rounds in later years. This whimsical comedy-drama tells the true story of Flitcroft, a daffy father of three, who blagged a spot in the 1976 Open championship, setting a new record for the tournaments highest ever score. Maurice showed that one mustnt be put off thinking they will never be as good as so and so. Maurice Flitcroft, who died in 2007, came from the England port town of Barrow-in-Furness, decided he would try to take a shot at the British open after watching A newspaper got in touch with Flitcrofts mother to get her opinion of her sons attempt to play in The Open. 41.3K subscribers. I know what Im doing, said Flitcroft. With Flitcroft seemingly unaware how many shots and penalty shots he had amassed, I made the silent assumption that I was two up. You got your president and it goes all the way down to the lowest rung which is the greenskeeper. Maurice didn't like bullies. My brother Philip lived in Switzerland, so he would send an entry form for Dad from there and he also had an American pal who would do the same. But Maurice was regularly chased off courses in his deerstalker hat, and threatened with arrest. - Just so you know, whilst we may receive a commission or other compensation from the links on this page, we never allow this to influence product selections. What about the player who missed out because Flitcroft took his spot? We didnt grasp how immense it was until we got to school on the Monday morning.. Montages of Maurice butting heads with the stuffy establishment (led by Rhys Ifans's suitably villainous-sounding secretary of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews) ensue, where Roberts gets some comic mileage from the familiar targets lampooning the entitlement of the game and finding amusement in its many ridiculous, archaic rules. Required fields are marked *. In 2017, Farnaby co-wrote Paddington 2 with Paul King. Actor, comedian and author Simon Farnaby wrote the screenplay for The Phantom of the Open and co-wrote the book in 2010 along with sportswriter and author Scott Murray. Wonder if Flitcrofts life will be glammed up? He's a great sort of clown. H Bauer Publishing are authorised and regulated for credit broking by the FCA (Ref No. I have no chance of qualifying, Flitcroft said. In the circumstances, this fathers opening shot was a lot better than anticipated high and right but on the fairway. Even though tournament bosses The Royal And Ancient, based in Scotland at the home of golf St Andrews, banned him from ever competing again, Maurice kept trying to enter the Open and other pro tournaments around the world under a series of comedy pseudonyms. Hes got to start somewhere, hasnt he? she said. He even meets a charismatic young Spanish pro by name of Seve Ballesteros. And Craig knows her from a film he wrote and directed called "Eternal Beauty" so thankfully Sally liked the script.". He entered one tournament as General Hoppy of France, wearing a drooping moustache. Go for it, what the hell! Flitcroft refused to be defined by harsh criticism, mockery, and the scorn of an elitist golf culture. It was the same with golf clubs. At the age of 46, hes determined not to let her down. It will be released theatrically in the United States on June 3rd from Sony Pictures Classics. She had let Flitcrofts entry application through, although she wasnt the only one at the R&A who had seen it. The eccentric amateur later failed to hole a single putt when he appeared on a mock mini-course for daytime TV, complaining that the studio floor under the indoor green was uneven. You know golf clubs are like little sorts of parliaments. He was all over the newspapers and magazines. Jupiter, Fla. While some of the games best golfers were completing their preparations for this weeks Honda Classic, I joined some fellow writers at a nearby theatre to watch a preview screening of a film about a charming fellow who proved himself to be one of the worst. An open championship should be open to everyone, says Flitcroft, who has his eyes on the competitions 10,000 prize. The film captures the whimsical nature of Maurice Flitcroft. "I think Steven Spielberg said Mark Rylance is the best actor in the world. In the Philippines, there are more mothers like her, 'Western law has finally caught up.' I hope he enjoyed it as much as we did. Some faults had crept into my swing. Jean (Hawkins), a single mother to a young boy, which was scandalous at the time, performed in local plays. Flitcroft wasnt even a "My dad was a greenskeeper at Ganton Golf Club (Scarborough, UK) northeast of England, which is quite a prestigious golf club but I don't know what it's like in the (United) States but greenskeepers are sort of seen as the lower echelons. [6] The Phantom of the Open, directed by Craig Roberts, starring Mark Rylance and Sally Hawkins, opened at the London Film Festival in October 2021 before a wider release in March 2022.[11][12]. Its the more-or-less true story of Maurice Flitcroft, a crane operator for Vickers-Armstrongs shipyard in Barrow-in-Furness who took up golf in his mid-forties after seeing it Like that film, he has a light comedic touch and feel for the milieu he's sketching, giving us a mid-70s that feels authentically uncool: three TV channels; ABBA and Leo Sayer on the soundtrack; white people in overalls dancing to disco at dinky community halls a world where nothing, and thus everything, seems possible. Farnaby grew up around golf and first remembers hearing about Flitcroft when he was around 11 years old. Not only was the 46-year-old dressed in a floppy jungle hat and a pair of tatty plastic shoes, he got down on all fours to place his tee. 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