Back in the early 70s, Flitcroft is working as a crane operator for a shipyard in far-flung north-west England, near the Scottish border, where he's settled in a modest existence with wife Jean (Sally Hawkins, milking that Spencer bowl cut for all it's worth), her grown son from a prior relationship (Jake Davies), and their twin teenage boys (Christian and Jonah Lees). We have kept that throughout life. [1][2] Subsequently, he gained significant media coverage, being referred to as "the world's worst golfer". Director Craig Roberts (Just Jim, Eternal Beauty), also a successful character actor, takes the time to establish Maurice's golf ineptitude. Michael Catling is the Features Editor ofTodays Golfer. [4] At other times he worked as a shoe polish salesman and an ice cream man. The Phantom of the Open aims to emulate this triumph. After he shot 121 the R&A was aghast that someone could beat the system.. We used to do live stuff on stage together many moons ago. I said, Dad, we have to take the tent down.. A success, after all. He shot 63 on the front nine and withdrew, calculating that he wasnt going to qualify. I guess you would call it a docker in the U.S. but that was the only option. James says: They realised he wasnt sick when they saw him in the paper. Maurice Gerald Flitcroft was a British golfer and audacious Flitcroft died in 2007, and, well, I think its terrific that a film has been made of his ongoing escapades in the royal and ancient and sometimes fuddy-duddy game of golf. 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. His family did very kindly send me his wonderful red hat, but it was too small, so we used a replica. There was a stigma attached to what happened at the golf. The film tells the true story of Maurice Flitcroft, a dreamer and unrelenting optimist, who managed to enter the 1976 British Open Golf He was the most besotted golfer I ever met. 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 recounts their stalwart marriage with a tender touch. Bauer Media Group consists of: Bauer Consumer Media Ltd, Company number: 01176085; Bauer Radio Ltd, Company Why should golf fans go and see the film? Learn how and when to remove this template message, 1974 Piccadilly World Match Play Championship, Professional Golfers' Association of America, "The 'Phantom of the Open' who tricked his way into golf's elite", "Flitcroft runs out of steam and names in his long-running tilt at windmill", "Maurice Flitcroft: Audacious amateur golfer who conned his way into the Open", "The world's worst golfer, coming to cinemas", "The Joy of Six: Open nightmares, From Walter Danecki to Ian Woosnams 15 clubs, via the travails of Ian Baker-Finch, here are half a dozen Open lows, by Scott Murray, 15 Jul 2011, The Guardian, "Maurice Flitcroft: The world's worst golfer", "Sony Pictures Classics Acquires Mark Rylance & Sally Hawkins Movie 'The Phantom of the Open', "Front Row: The Arts in Aberystwyth, The Boy with Two Hearts in Cardiff and Welsh film director Craig Roberts", Obituary, "The Great Pretender: Recalling Open Championship gatecrasher Maurice Flitcroft," by Dave Kindred, GolfDigest, June 25, 2007, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Maurice_Flitcroft&oldid=1139154906, Short description is different from Wikidata, Wikipedia articles needing copy edit from January 2023, Articles needing additional references from January 2023, All articles needing additional references, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 13 February 2023, at 17:28. His fantastical character traits lead to a conflict with Michael. Subscribe. His deception (and ineptitude) were uncovered when he managed to card a 49-over-par 121the worst score in the tournament's history;[10] some of the other professionals playing with him were so angry that they successfully demanded a refund of their entry fees. You must have JavaScript enabled to fill out this form. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume. RELATED: Maurice Flitcrofts incredible story. The Phantom of the Open resounds on many levels. Shipyard crane operator Maurice Flitcroft (Mark Rylance) is contemplating a career change. He decides to become a professional golfer. 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But he was a self-anointed professional, right? VAT no 918 5617 01 Alas, none of it ever happened. As long as you try to do your best, it doesnt matter what other people say. Plus expert golfing tips, reviews, news & interviews; From $8.80 /mth (opens in new tab) View (opens in new tab that of Maurice Flitcroft who, in his 40s, decided he wanted to win The Open Championship. 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. Years later in the early seventies, the Vickers-Armstrongs company decides to cut its work force. We used the same type of clubs, but not the originals. (Laughs) I dont think I would do better than Maurice. [The Upcoming]Maurice Flitcroft: a dreamer, unrelenting optimist and against all the odds a total golfing legend! Not, mind you, that it was easily arranged. Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. WebFlitcroft 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 The film includes a sweet scene of Flitcrofts wife picking up the invitation in the mail and showing it to her husband and their three sons. Maurice Flitcroft (Mark Rylance) crashes British golf tournaments in The Phantom of the Open. The Phantom of the Open is a production of Ingenious, Water & Power, Baby Cow Films, BBC Film, Cornerstone Films, and BFI. The next problem had to do with the venue. 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. He says: Dad took it seriously deadly serious. (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 Maurices twin sons had no idea their dad was taking part in the British Open qualifying during the summer of 1976 and neither did his employers. We had the great pleasure of playing a links course in Folkestone, so along the coast. Back in the day, he promised his wife, Jean (Sally Hawkins), champagne, caviar and diamonds. He tried to play a hand other than what was dealt to him. As it happens, my wife Nell is from Grand Rapids. Share. Maurice also tried to disguise his now famous face. 8 min read Watch: Trailer for The Phantom of the Open Golf course chancer Maurice Flitcroft became notorious in the 1970s after he 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." His shots did not improve, as he blasted into bushes and skewed simple putts. H Bauer Publishing are authorised and regulated for credit broking by the FCA (Ref No. Wiki4All. The titan of theater, film, and television gives Maurice a tough backbone with a caring soul. The mid-70s were weird. Our dad bought us clubs. Unlock All Content, Become A Subscriber Today. Rylance and Hawkins are magnificent. A smitten Maurice proposes marriage. A newspaper got in touch with Flitcrofts mother to get her opinion of her sons attempt to play in The Open. 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. James recalls his dad once pitching a tent at Scotlands prestigious Gullane golf course, in East Lothian, only to later realise they were in the middle of the car park. Son James says: My mum dyed his moustache and hair. Flitcroft kept trying to pull off his hoax in qualifying rounds in later years. Were you surprised by how The R&A acted after finding out he was an imposter? Maurice Flitcroft, played by Mark Rylance in The Phantom of The Open, drew a band of supporters. Maurice would end up operating a crane at the dreary Vickers-Armstrongs shipyard. I think it's because for most of us, humiliation is our worst nightmare. Rylance connects to the contradictions in Maurice's childlike mind; to his dreamy optimism and his neglect of responsibility elements that the film hints at but can't quite reconcile, because it's too enamoured with its warm-blanket world view. It was the same with golf clubs. The powers that be. But none of that was going to deter determined Maurice, who had the support of his family and many in the community. The idea that someone so completely terrible at their passion might go on to be an inspiration is a rich premise, even if there's something vaguely discomfiting about the film's celebration of a man who more or less drives his family into poverty and whose 11th-hour shout-out to his long-suffering wife, the mostly underused Hawkins, feels like cynical, borderline-misogynist writing. He has written and appeared in films such as Mindhorn and Paddington 2, and in the BBC sitcom Detectorists. Maurice Flitcroft. 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. The bystanders, who had hoped for something a bit special, returned to the clubhouse. To inquire about a licence to reproduce material, visit our Syndication site. 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. I mean he didn't know he wasn't those things but even when he found out he was like 'well you know I gave it my best shot, I gave it a go'. Now his story is about to be told on the silver screen. They congratulated him on his one par but, at the close of the day, they made plain that their own golf had suffered. He entered as Gerald Hoppy and made it into a qualifying round in 1984, dressed up as a suave Swiss and sporting a moustache. Undeterred by failure (and a lifetime ban), he re-enters under a fresh alias, donning a French accent and a moustache. 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 He's portrayed with a casual brilliance by the consummate thespian, Mark Rylance. We first meet Maurice Flitcroft (Rylance) sitting for a television interview. A limo picked them up. A new television set with a remote control changes his fate. 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