He was one of the first house-husbands.. So for them to ask him to retire was out of the question. Why should golf fans go and see the film? 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. Following his marriage, he and his wife settled in Barrow-in-Furness, where he worked as a crane operator at the Vickers-Armstrongs shipyard. He knew writers in England, who helped him contact the couple. 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. Soon enough the bumbling Northerner is competing in the qualifying round of the 1976 Open where his infamous round of 121 becomes the championship's all-time worst score, and his legend is born. You have got to do hare-brained things., Arrogant ex-Leeds United player who raped girl, 17, jailed for 17 years, Man Utd legend Roy Keane surprises Laura Woods live on ITV with comment, Paralysed ex-Spanish footballer Novo dies at 32 after being 'hit by a train', Brentford star Ivan Toney pleads guilty to multiple betting breaches, News Group Newspapers Limited in England No. Director Craig Roberts plonks Flitcroft into a surreal dream sequence in which the character ascends an Astroturf staircase in his dressing gown and slippers. His family did very kindly send me his wonderful red hat, but it was too small, so we used a replica. In 2017, Farnaby co-wrote Paddington 2 with Paul King. One night, he's inexplicably transfixed by a round of golf on television and, against all odds, it becomes his obsession a scene staged as fantastical hallucination, with our wide-eyed protagonist tumbling into a starry night sky and around a golf-ball-shaped moon, like Baron Munchausen soaring over the back nine. 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 heard he was writing a book and managed to track him down. So Maurice was assigned to a qualifying course. Though this, I promise, is not a blow-by-blow account of our 18 holes, the fourth hole has to be worth a mention. The R&A did not screen applications from pros, Lorna said. Weve long been fans of Maurice Flitcrofts extraordinary story here at Todays Golfer. Alas, none of it ever happened. She had let Flitcrofts entry application through, although she wasnt the only one at the R&A who had seen it. He slashes and swipes at the ball but hey, hes just trying to advance it from point A to point B. [4] At other times he worked as a shoe polish salesman and an ice cream man. The film captures the whimsical nature of Maurice Flitcroft. At the age of 46, hes determined not to let her down. He actually tried a few different things before he found golf. He quickly arouses the ire of tournament officials but becomes a hero to the common man. Maurice Flitcroft (Mark Rylance) crashes British golf tournaments in The Phantom of the Open. In the 1976 British Open, Maurice Flitcroft, a crane operator turned aspiring golfer, shot the worst qualifying round in the tournament's history. 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. Share. His tribute to her in the third act left me in tears. The Phantom of the Open, based on an eponymous book by Simon Farnaby and Scott Murray, is being distributed in the UK by eOne and will be screened in cinemas from 5 November. Regardless of where those shots and the rest had ended up, Flitcrofts heart was in the right place. Sony Pictures Classics new movie The Phantom of the Open hit theaters in June and tells the true story of Maurice Flitcroft, a laid-off crane driver who at the age of 46 chanced his way into the British Open in 1976 having never played a round of golf in his life. 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. Arnold Palmtree, Count Manfred von Hoffmenstal and James Beau Jolley were other aliases Flitcroft used to try to dupe the R&A. I guess you would call it a docker in the U.S. but that was the only option. (Farnaby's ultimate paean to politeness, Paddington 2, for all its insufferable online fandom, at least had the good sense to include dramatic conflict.). James says: We took up golf when we were ten or 11. Michael joined Todays Golfer in 2016 and has exclusively interviewed dozens of Major champions, including Jordan Spieth, Tom Watson, Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus. But golf was a passion for Maurice and it was James and his twin brother Genes interest in the sport which first sparked it. Flitcroft wasnt even a member of a golf club. Son James says: My mum dyed his moustache and hair. In addition the R&A gave him a lifetime ban from all their competitions. 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. That was more than enough embarrassment for the R&A, which circulated Flitcrofts photo to all qualifying sites. Maurice would end up operating a crane at the dreary Vickers-Armstrongs shipyard. She didnt say, Dont do it. Maurice Flitcroft (Mark Rylance) crashes British golf tournaments in The Phantom of the Open. Therell be less pressure that way, he said. An open championship should be open to everyone, says Flitcroft, who has his eyes on the competitions 10,000 prize. 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. Then, when someone drew his attention to how the 1976 Open was to be played not too far from Barrow-in-Furness at Birkdale to be precise there was no stopping him. His love for theater and music deemed not practical in difficult times. Okay, maybe just a tad. His shots did not improve, as he blasted into bushes and skewed simple putts. Our dad bought us clubs. We didn't know much about him but all the senior members hated him and they hated us too or so it like like so he was one of us. It turned out he was not the gifted player he had claimed to be. Registered Office: Media House, Peterborough Business Park, Lynch Wood, Peterborough. 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. He wasn't skilled. However, there was a serious side to Flitcrofts con trick: serious players missed out on playing in Open Qualifying as a result. He drives then R&A secretary Keith Mackenzie batty, once its become clear that Flitcroft has put one over very much over his Royal and Ancients commanding presence. He's absolutely terrible but enjoys playing the game. [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]. He entered as Gerald Hoppy and made it into a qualifying round in 1984, dressed up as a suave Swiss and sporting a moustache. 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. British Airways sprung for tickets for the family. 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. Flitcroft retired from Vickers in the 1970s and devoted himself to his golfbut was reduced to the ignominy of once again playing on local fields, having been banned from every local golf club after sneaking into their grounds to play without permission. By 1992, Maurice had developed a hip problem which finally convinced him to pack away his golf clubs. Maurice also tried to disguise his now famous face. Bauer Media Group consists of: Bauer Consumer Media Ltd, Company number: 01176085; Bauer Radio Ltd, Company Actually, the R&A told Flitcroft in no uncertain terms he wasnt playing the second round. He had his own definition of who he was, regardless of the contrary evidence. Ive probably played less than 10 times on the golf course, so I had to book some lessons with a pro to become the worst golfer in the world. The sporting world might have treated him as a joke but he had wanted to become a great golfer. 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. The English actor's socially maladjusted tech overlords in Steven Spielberg's Ready Player One and Adam McKay's Don't Look Up are among the more memorable turns in recent pop cinema, and he brings that sense of spaced-out other-worldliness to his performance here, making Flitcroft feel less like a naive Northerner than an extraterrestrial in a constant state of wonder at the human form it's inhabiting. Half an hour later and the starter was calling On the tee, Maurice Flitcroft. And that was when his knees began to quake. 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. 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? Maurice worked diligently to provide a stable life for her and the children. 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