He was dubbed the worlds worst golfer and made headlines around the world. I went and visited Barrow-in-Furness and met one of his surviving sons, James, and his grandchildren. 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. He and Ballesteros might have been miles apart in terms of talent, but they had one thing in common: they both learned to play on a beach. We first meet Maurice Flitcroft (Rylance) sitting for a television interview. The legendary hacker infamously submitted an entry form for Open Qualifying for the field at Royal Birkdale, claiming he was a professional golfer even though hed never been on a golf course in his life. [6], In a July 2006 article in Golfonline, Flitcroft said, "I was in show business. He's a great sort of clown. 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. He was a remarkable man. 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. Local golfing bigwigs were also none too pleased about Maurice having shown up the sport, and promptly blackballed him. He has been a journalist for more than 10 years and was shortlisted for Bauer Media Journalist of the Year in 2019. He tried to play a hand other than what was dealt to him. 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. It's a bit different now. (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 Web99 Likes, TikTok video from Emily (@emily_donman): "But honestly, there was no clue on the subject? Farnaby says Flitcroft's journey is amazing considering where he came from. "The Sun", "Sun", "Sun Online" are registered trademarks or trade names of News Group Newspapers Limited. 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 the sport on television. But on Friday of this week in the UK, and not too long after that in America, Sir Mark Rylance will be playing this engaging eccentric in a film called The Phantom of the Open. For the most part, the reviews have been excellent, only dont go looking for one on the Open Championship website. Maurice was the original loveable sporting loser, well before English ski-jumper Eddie The Eagle Edwards or swimmer Eric The Eel Moussambani, from Equatorial Guinea in central Africa. It was a pity they missed the par-four second. Arnold Palmtree, Count Manfred von Hoffmenstal and James Beau Jolley were other aliases Flitcroft used to try to dupe the R&A. "I've tried to work out what it is about what we really love about him. Maurice Gerald Flitcroft was a British golfer and audacious "I worked with her in the Paddington movies and before that we go way back. Sorry. As long as you try to do your best, it doesnt matter what other people say. WebA tribute to Maurice Flitcroft - a true golf refugee About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test The amateur player is a clear threat to anyone within hitting distance, but he also represents a challenge to the elitism of the sport. 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." The film's best dramatic moments have a reckoning between them. The same applied with ball No. Things were going a bit sideways for him, and he needed an adventure. Indeed, his is not a story that ended with that ignominious Open defeat. "I think Steven Spielberg said Mark Rylance is the best actor in the world. That he had lost every hole in our game never got a mention, either from me or from him. [4], Flitcroft was born in Manchester on 23 November 1929. [1] Other more ludicrous names used were Arnold Palmtree and Count Manfred von Hoffmanstel, together with physical disguises such as wearing a false moustache and dark glasses. Maurice Flitcroft (Mark Rylance) crashes British golf tournaments in The Phantom of the Open. You were allowed to tee off for about five minutes every other Tuesday (laughing). 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. I hope he enjoyed it as much as we did. 8 min read Watch: Trailer for The Phantom of the Open Golf course chancer Maurice Flitcroft became notorious in the 1970s after he Who cares? that was the family attitude. First, Flitcroft was no different to any of the other well-known names of the day in asking for appearance money and expenses. Now his story is about to be told on the silver screen. 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. I have no chance of qualifying, Flitcroft said. Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. 2 and, by the time Ball No. - 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. Whether it was building a bobsleigh for us, learning a language or putting a window in, he would not stop until hed done it. So began a round in which he was at sixes and sevens while his playing companions were silently critical. The twins inherited their dads sense of dedication James and Gene loved dancing and went on to become world disco champions. His irrepressible attitude, always supported by his doting wife Jean (Sally Hawkins), will leave you grinning from ear to ear. Fast forward again to Flitcrofts appearance at Blythefield in 1988, where he and Jean and their sons were the guests of honour. Not, mind you, that it was easily arranged. Farnaby grew up around golf and first remembers hearing about Flitcroft when he was around 11 years old. If this wasn't enough, another green had a 12-inch (300mm) cup. He quite liked the idea when he saw us cleaning them and practising with our mates. We first meet the aging Maurice Flitcroft played by Oscar-winning oddball Mark Rylance (Bridge of Spies) in one of those career wraparound interviews that immediately tells the audience a little bit more than it needs to know. If Tiger Woods can do that, I dont need to feel bad about Maurice G. Flitcroft doing that! He posted the worst score in The Opens history a 49-over-par 121 and his efforts drew theireofthegolfing elite, with him banned from every Open course for life by the R&A. Jean was proud of Maurice's character. He used them as an inspiration and tried to do his best. After 63 shots, the R&A realised the man with the false moustache was Flitcroft. I became aware of Flitcroft when he played that first time in the Open qualifier in 1976. When he chances upon a game of golf while watching TV one evening, hes launched into a new world. Heres a trailer for the film. Gene would hear none of that, the reason being that he and his twin brother were disco-dancing champions who had always drawn strength from seeing fellow competitors in a spot of bother. It may have been out of bounds but, in the eyes of his mostly loyal son, the shot was not without its redeeming features. Moore, who still writes regularly for Michigan Golfer, where he was the founding editor, remembers the Flitcrofts with great fondness. Maurice Gerald Flitcroft (23 November 1929 24 March 2007) was a British golfer. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. You deserve it!\"--Lawrence Donegan, The Guardian\"Heart-warming and bizarre the laugh-out-loud book of the summer\"--Tom Cox, author of Nice Jumper and Bring Me The Head Of Sergio Garcia, and Golf International columnist\"A joyful biography\"--Dan Jones, London Evening Standard\"Don Quixote with a nine-iron\"--Julian Barratt, The Mighty Boosh\"I bet you're going to buy it, because it sounds like a great tale\"--John Inverdale, BBC Radio Five Live\"What a book. Simon Farnaby and Scott Murray wrote a book called The Phantom of the Open, which was published in 2010. Starring Mark Rylance and Sally Hawkins, watch the delightful #ThePhantomOfTheOpen tee off only in cinemas March 18. pic.twitter.com/lh6bRdbDMv. 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. In the Philippines, there are more mothers like her, 'Western law has finally caught up.' The film tells the true story of Maurice Flitcroft, a dreamer and unrelenting optimist, who managed to enter the 1976 British Open Golf Okay, maybe just a tad. 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. That was and remains the highest score ever. He was inspired to enter the tournament by Walter Danecki, a postal worker from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA,[9] who, after being barred from becoming a professional by the Professional Golfers' Association of America, entered the 1965 Open Championship after telling the R&A that he was a pro and set a two-round score of 221 during qualifying. The sporting world might have treated him as a joke but he had wanted to become a great golfer. 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. Maurice showed that one mustnt be put off thinking they will never be as good as so and so. I know what Im doing, said Flitcroft. You must have JavaScript enabled to fill out this form. Literally. British Airways sprung for tickets for the family. 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