He is reported as having told the members there that it was the first time he and his wife had been out of the house together "since their gas oven exploded." But there's an enervating twee-ness to the screenplay by English writer-comedian Farnaby (adapting his and Scott Murray's book of the same name), a sense that the British feel-good formula has been fed into an algorithm that hasn't yet machine-learned the art of dramatic rhythm. The sporting world might have treated him as a joke but he had wanted to become a great golfer. If it doesn't win Sports Book of the Year then life is more crooked than one of Maurice Flitcroft's drives\"--Dan Davies, Esquire You know golf clubs are like little sorts of parliaments. Flitcroft practised on the beach near his home in Cumbria. He lost his job, Mum went to work and he looked after us. He withdrew after those, er, sterling 18 holes. The film's best dramatic moments have a reckoning between them. Flitcroft spoke at the dinner. If a spectral Englishman could appear on Soul Train and a Southern peanut farmer could win the 39th presidency, then why couldn't a middle-aged crane driver from Barrow-in-Furness pass himself off as a professional golfer and compete in the British Open, despite having zero experience and even less talent? I asked him if he still harboured dreams of playing in The Open. (Supplied: Universal/Nick Wall) We first meet the aging Maurice Flitcroft played by Oscar-winning oddball Mark Rylance ( Bridge of Spies) in one of those Starring Mark Rylance and Sally Hawkins, watch the delightful #ThePhantomOfTheOpen tee off only in cinemas March 18. pic.twitter.com/lh6bRdbDMv. I hope he enjoyed it as much as we did. A challenge to the elitism of the sport: Mark Rylance as Maurice Flitcroft in The Phantom of the Open. I guess you would call it a docker in the U.S. but that was the only option. He takes a liking to a sweet company secretary. What did you admire most about Maurice and his story? I often dream of having been an actor on stage and not knowing my lines and that's the equivalent of what Maurice was doing. 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. Sign Up For Our Free Weekly Digital Magazine! So do many others who have dreamed of pursuing a career in something they just don't have the skills or means to achieve the goals. I wrote in a Globe and Mail column on May 19, 1988 that prizes included fishbowls with live goldfish and used bowling balls. That he had lost every hole in our game never got a mention, either from me or from him. After posing as a professional player to enter an elite qualifying competition for the British Open of 1976, Maurice lined up his first drive and took a clumsy swing at his ball sending it a miserable 40 yards. - 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. Perhaps Flitcrofts legacy other than this movie is he forced the R&A to institute stricter checks on entry forms, with names flagged up if there is anything suspicious. He even meets a charismatic young Spanish pro by name of Seve Ballesteros. At the age of 46, hes determined not to let her down. On each occasion, officialdom had refused to give him back his entry fee. Then, in 1988, my friend and colleague Terry Moore told me about the Maurice Flitcroft Spring Member-Guest that had been held at the Blythefield Country Club in his hometown of Grand Rapids, Mich. Moores brother Tim, a member there, had attached Flitcrofts name to the event in 1978. Will the movie identify those players who had to suffer Flitcrofts antics for those excruciating 18 holes at Formby? She had let Flitcrofts entry application through, although she wasnt the only one at the R&A who had seen it. He entered as Gerald Hoppy and made it into a qualifying round in 1984, dressed up as a suave Swiss and sporting a moustache. Flitcroft, along with his son, Gene, who was serving as his driver-cum-caddie, arrived on to the first tee with a minute to spare and, straightaway, Gene put an interested cluster of bystanders in the picture. We didnt grasp how immense it was until we got to school on the Monday morning.. I think that a lot of the humour arises because so many people take golf very seriously. He entered the qualifier for the Open that year. You were allowed to tee off for about five minutes every other Tuesday (laughing). We first meet Maurice Flitcroft (Rylance) sitting for a television interview. Ive made a lot of progress in the last few months and Im sorry I did not do any better.. In 2017, Farnaby co-wrote Paddington 2 with Paul King. The Phantom of the Open is in cinemas now. His family did very kindly send me his wonderful red hat, but it was too small, so we used a replica. He wasnt big-headed. [4][5], After leaving school, Flitcroft joined the Merchant Navy. Maurice Flitcroft, who holds the record for the highest score ever recorded in the Open Championship - 121 in 1976 - goes to the States, where a tournament's been We used the same type of clubs, but not the originals. I have no chance of qualifying, Flitcroft said. I like true stories and I liked his character, especially the Don Quixote aspects of him. Why should golf fans go and see the film? Our hero gave the Open a miss in 1977 but, by using a pseudonym, he tried again in 1978 and 79. Weve long been fans of Maurice Flitcrofts extraordinary story here at Todays Golfer. The Phantom of The Open opens on March 18. Farnaby knew what to expect from Hawkins. In 1988, Flitcroft himself was flown to Blythefield to play in the event. The film captures the whimsical nature of Maurice Flitcroft. We used to do live stuff on stage together many moons ago. Michael Catling is the Features Editor ofTodays Golfer. Farnaby and Scott Murray's 2010 book The Phantom of the Open: Maurice Flitcroft the World's Worst Golfer is from Yellow Jersey Press. He had told his bosses he was ill, so it came as a great surprise to them to see photos of him strolling along behind Seve Ballesteros at the Open after failing to qualify. Maurice also tried to disguise his now famous face. 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. Six Canadians are in the field at the Arnold Palmer Invitational while David Hearn pegs in Puerto Rico. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. The next minute hes got himself a set of clubs and is practising every day.. And so is the film. In its obituary of Flitcroft, The Daily Telegraph commented: Maurice Flitcroft was a chain-smoking shipyard crane-operator from Barrow-in-Furness whose persistent attempts to gatecrash the British Open golf championship produced a sense of humour failure among members of the golfing establishment. Unlock All Content, Become A Subscriber Today. Had he entered as an amateur, which he decidedly was, he would have had to declare his handicap. Literally. He was one of the first house-husbands.. The Phantom of the Open is a production of Ingenious, Water & Power, Baby Cow Films, BBC Film, Cornerstone Films, and BFI. They'd call him shipyard fodder. Maurice Gerald Flitcroft (23 November 1929 24 March 2007) was a British golfer. My dad taught me and I was really good but I couldn't understand why the members looked down on me, on the juniors really. His entry was accepted. Wonder if Flitcrofts life will be glammed up? (Laughs) I dont think I would do better than Maurice. Heres a trailer for the film. 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. WebDubbed the 'world's worst golfer', Flitcroft had shot to prominence more than a decade earlier with a record score of 121 in his ill-fated quest to qualify for the 1976 Open H Bauer Publishing are authorised and regulated for credit broking by the FCA (Ref No. Some faults had crept into my swing. Help keep family & friends informed by sharing this article, Marie has been charged with reprehensible crimes. 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. Flitcroft prepared for the tournament by studying a golf instruction manual by Peter Alliss which was borrowed from his local library. WebWhat a film! He was the most besotted golfer I ever met. Half an hour later and the starter was calling On the tee, Maurice Flitcroft. And that was when his knees began to quake. Before it hits screens on March 18, we sat down with Rylance to find out what attracted the Academy Award winner to the role and how he went about getting into character. Having said that he was going to slosh his drive, my opponent dispatched his ball into ferns, never to be seen again. He gave Maurice that dignity and failure that he needed. Mark Rylance plays Maurice Flitcroft in The Phantom of The Open. He entered as Gerald Hoppy and made it into a qualifying round in 1984, dressed up as a He didnt play the second round. In the 1976 British Open, Maurice Flitcroft, a crane operator turned aspiring golfer, shot the worst qualifying round in the tournament's history. Most of the management played golf. That was and remains the highest score ever. The Sun website is regulated by the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO), Our journalists strive for accuracy but on occasion we make mistakes. 20. But Flitcroft became the scourge of the games authorites, flouting his ban by applying for qualifying under foreign names and wearing disguises, and rapidly becoming a folk hero with British fans. [6], In a July 2006 article in Golfonline, Flitcroft said, "I was in show business. You got your president and it goes all the way down to the lowest rung which is the greenskeeper. Flitcroft was taking his golf as seriously as any of his professional counterparts but, on the rare occasion when we werent looking for golf balls, he regaled me with details of his career. Just think, there might be a poor lost soul who could have been Champion Golfer of the Year in 1976 if Flitcroft hadn't stole his place. He used them as an inspiration and tried to do his best. First, Flitcroft was no different to any of the other well-known names of the day in asking for appearance money and expenses. Michael joined Todays Golfer in 2016 and has exclusively interviewed dozens of Major champions, including Jordan Spieth, Tom Watson, Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus. He'd seen it on the TV and fell in love with it, got some clubs from a catalog, practiced on the beach and he thought hey this looks like this a similar to what I've seen on the TV, so I think I'm ready for the Open.". Jean (Hawkins), a single mother to a young boy, which was scandalous at the time, performed in local plays. He humorously recalls growing up during World War II when dreams of fancy were put on hold. Maurice Flitcroft was not a golfer, but that didnt stop him trying to qualify for golfs most famous tournament. Farnaby is a member of the British Horrible Histories troupe in which he starred in the TV series Horrible Histories, Yonderland and Ghosts. After he and his wife Jean decided to put him down as a "professional" on the tournament application, through and administrative error, his dream came true and he played in one of the world's greatest golf championships. He entered one tournament as General Hoppy of France, wearing a drooping moustache. He knew writers in England, who helped him contact the couple. I sort of fell in love with golf. His first encounter with the sport came via television as he watched Tom Watson win the 1975 Open Championship. Maurice Flitcroft was the fearless rookie who tricked the R&A in 1976 and became a cult hero for decades to come. This is the remarkable story of 'The Phantom of The Open' Maurice Flitcroft had some range. His shots did not improve, as he blasted into bushes and skewed simple putts. The R&A did not screen applications from pros, Lorna said. James says: We took up golf when we were ten or 11. I managed to whittle him down to lunch and 18 holes, only for him to move the goalposts on the day. Though he had still to play on a course, he wrote to Peter Alliss to request an entry form and, with no reply forthcoming, he tried the R&A who dispatched one by the next post. No handicap required on the entry form. 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