Share. If we wanted cricket we had pads, balls, wickets. Flitcroft refused to be defined by harsh criticism, mockery, and the scorn of an elitist golf culture. 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. READ NEXT:The Phantom of The Open reviewed. Flitcroft kept trying to pull off his hoax in qualifying rounds in later years. Maurice Flitcroft, a crane operator from Barrow-in-Furness in Cumbria, had never played a round of golf in his life. We have kept that throughout life. Most of the management played golf. Moore, who still writes regularly for Michigan Golfer, where he was the founding editor, remembers the Flitcrofts with great fondness. He was dubbed the worlds worst golfer and made headlines around the world. "One of the things we noticed when Scott and I were researching the book, you got the Barrow and there's still not many jobs there, a very poor area. Not, mind you, that it was easily arranged. Over the next decade, Flitcroft would continue in his attempts to enter the Open in a series of more outlandish identities, and the sight of Maurice in flagrantly fake disguises suggests an Andy Kaufman-like put-on that a more imaginative film might have indulged. In his spare time he plays guitar, treasures good company, and always seeks new adventures. Actually, the R&A told Flitcroft in no uncertain terms he wasnt playing the second round. AS unknown golfer Maurice Flitcroft teed up his ball to take a tilt at the sports most eminent tournament, something was clearly amiss. As a result of his abilities, he became known as "The Royal & Ancient Rabbit". His mother had been also dragged into proceedings when the press sought her out to ask if she felt the Open had been a step too far too soon for her son. A newspaper got in touch with Flitcrofts mother to get her opinion of her sons attempt to play in The Open. Maurice Flitcroft genuinely believed he could win the Claret Jug. The mid-70s were weird. The search had lasted rather longer than the regulation five minutes when Gene spotted the missile way down the road. 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 kept trying to pull off his hoax in qualifying rounds in later years. Flitcroft sent in his entry form for the 1977 championship; the R&A rejected it. Then 46 years old, Flitcroft shot 121, 49 over par. We filmed in the south at a few different courses. At times, Roberts seems to have considered just that there are enough giddy whip pans and dolly ins to suggest the director seemed to think he was making a slippery, Scorsese-esque tale of irony and ambition. (Oh, I hope not!) Maurice just didn't want to do it. While the brothers took a fair amount of ribbing, it was far worse for Maurice who was given his marching orders from work. That was more than enough embarrassment for the R&A, which circulated Flitcrofts photo to all qualifying sites. Maurice Flitcroft (Mark Rylance) crashes British golf tournaments in The Phantom of the Open. He's a great sort of clown. 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. 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. 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. He says: Dad took it seriously deadly serious. To see all content on The Sun, please use the Site Map. He kept true to his dream. BAFTA-winning writer Farnaby penned the script for the comedy drama which has been brought to life by director Craig Roberts and a star-studded cast, led by Rylance, Oscar nominee Sally Hawkins and Rhys Ifans. I think that a lot of the humour arises because so many people take golf very seriously. I think it's because for most of us, humiliation is our worst nightmare. - 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. [4], Flitcroft was born in Manchester on 23 November 1929. As long as you try to do your best, it doesnt matter what other people say. He actually tried a few different things before he found golf. There was a notice warning of vehicles on the adjacent country road and, by the time Gene had finished drawing our attention to it, there was no question as to where Flitcroft Sr. would hit. 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. Click here and subscribe for just $48 (20% off). Alas, none of it ever happened. By the time he was halfway round the course, red-faced officials were urgently trying to persuade Maurice to retire gracefully. Thats why the R&A were not best pleased with Flitcrofts shenanigans, or copy cats like Bo Brit, a Canadian who turned up in a pair of Cowboy boots a few years later who manged to con his way into Open Qualifying. Flitcroft, who had never attempted a round of golf in his life, received widespread attention after shooting a score of 121 in the qualifying competition for the 1976 Open Championship the worst score recorded at the Open Championship by a self-professed "professional golfer". (Farnaby's ultimate paean to politeness, Paddington 2, for all its insufferable online fandom, at least had the good sense to include dramatic conflict.). 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 was a dreamer to the core. When Maurice Flitcroft (Mark Rylance) imagines the moon as a golf ball, hes looking for a new way to make a living. Its a heartwarming confection about Flitcrofts experiences flummoxing the poobahs at the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews, called the Royal and Ancient Golf Society in the film. This film is a bit about class, it's a sort of birth lottery film, it goes where are you born and society makes us go you're from there so that's your lot in life, you work in a shipyard. I became aware of Flitcroft when he played that first time in the Open qualifier in 1976. Things were going a bit sideways for him, and he needed an adventure. An avid film buff, he feels lucky to have interviewed and written extensively about Hollywood's greatest talents. Not only did Maurice G Flitcroft (unattached)s card have a three-figure score scrawled across the bottom of it, next to the 7th hole was the figure 12 and a massive question mark. I had to query it, says Johnson. Both of them stood there and said, Well, thats when we lost count. So they were obviously sick to death about what had happened. Sally Hawkins amazes as the ultimate partner in life. He's absolutely terrible but enjoys playing the game. Maurice worked as a crane operator with shipbuilders Vickers-Armstrongs in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, and his wife Jean who died in 2002 was part of the secretarial staff there. Rather was our lunch-time discussion devoted to the three seven irons which, for some reason, had met with his full approval. In the circumstances, this fathers opening shot was a lot better than anticipated high and right but on the fairway. London, England (CNN)-- When Maurice G. Flitcroft strode towards the first tee on an unseasonably hot English morning to begin his qualifying round for the 1976 I like true stories and I liked his character, especially the Don Quixote aspects of him. First, Flitcroft was no different to any of the other well-known names of the day in asking for appearance money and expenses. With Flitcroft seemingly unaware how many shots and penalty shots he had amassed, I made the silent assumption that I was two up. He also used hats and pseudonyms. For other inquiries, Contact Us. How did he get in, given that hed never played a round of golf and the extent of his experience with the game had been whacking balls on the beach? Web99 Likes, TikTok video from Emily (@emily_donman): "But honestly, there was no clue on the subject? It's a bit different now. He had a very strong sense of justice, probably more so than we depicted in the film. Maurice Flitcroft, played by Mark Rylance in The Phantom of The Open, drew a band of supporters. That was the year 19-year-old Spanish prodigy Seve Ballesteros announced himself to the world by finishing joint-second behind US great Johnny Miller. He even meets a charismatic young Spanish pro by name of Seve Ballesteros. Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window). So began a round in which he was at sixes and sevens while his playing companions were silently critical. He's portrayed with a casual brilliance by the consummate thespian, Mark Rylance. Hes not as bad as people think, he announced every bit as well as you would expect of someone who was a part-time DJ. Instead, he was a shipyard worker who had never been round a golf course in his life practising instead in muddy fields and on a local beach. We had the great pleasure of playing a links course in Folkestone, so along the coast. 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