[8] It seems that none of the professionals noticed that his gear comprised only a red imitation-leather bag and half a set of mail-order clubs. They were vintage, though, and probably worth something now. 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 Maurice had a very cheap set. This erstwhile crane driver talked of early practice sessions in a field or on the beach and revealed how he was the beneficiary of a series of instructional articles penned by Al Geiberger. We were about 12. I guess you would call it a docker in the U.S. but that was the only option. James says: My mates dads would say to us, Well done to your dad for what he did.. Six Canadians are in the field at the Arnold Palmer Invitational while David Hearn pegs in Puerto Rico. As a result of his abilities, he became known as "The Royal & Ancient Rabbit". Were you surprised by how The R&A acted after finding out he was an imposter? The twins inherited their dads sense of dedication James and Gene loved dancing and went on to become world disco champions. Another performer might have played it more for laughs, making fun of Maurice, but Mark played him like a god of failure.". But golf was a passion for Maurice and it was James and his twin brother Genes interest in the sport which first sparked it. He entered as a professional, which he decidedly was not. Rather was our lunch-time discussion devoted to the three seven irons which, for some reason, had met with his full approval. It may have been out of bounds but, in the eyes of his mostly loyal son, the shot was not without its redeeming features. An open championship should be open to everyone, says Flitcroft, who has his eyes on the competitions 10,000 prize. (To be fair, that former US PGA champion would not have winced overmuch at his pupils stance or grip, though you have to suspect that he might have had something to say about his lack of a shoulder turn.). This service may include material from Agence France-Presse (AFP), APTN, Reuters, AAP, CNN and the BBC World Service which is copyright and cannot be reproduced. In the 70's there was a big shipyard there and that was the only job. The crane operator from Barrow-in-Furness managed 18 holes at Formby Golf Club in 1976, the year Johnny Miller won the Open Championship and Seve Ballesteros announced himself on the world stage. It will be released theatrically in the United States on June 3rd from Sony Pictures Classics. They're like little governance. H Bauer Publishing are authorised and regulated for credit broking by the FCA (Ref No. Now his story is about to be told on the silver screen. Farnaby is a member of the British Horrible Histories troupe in which he starred in the TV series Horrible Histories, Yonderland and Ghosts. "I think Steven Spielberg said Mark Rylance is the best actor in the world. He's embarrassed by his father's antics. [4][5], After leaving school, Flitcroft joined the Merchant Navy. 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. He kept true to his dream. Jean encourages Maurice to find a passion for himself. I sort of fell in love with golf. When Maurice Flitcroft (Mark Rylance) imagines the moon as a golf ball, hes looking for a new way to make a living. 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. They congratulated him on his one par but, at the close of the day, they made plain that their own golf had suffered. On each occasion he was chased from the course by a referee. 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." He would then be dubbed "the worst golfer in the world" as he gained global fame for continually crashing the prestigious event. He certainly admitted he could have done better, but he was always very adamant he wasnt the worlds worst golfer. 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. The Phantom of the Open rests on the mighty shoulders of Rylance. But Phantom, directed by Craig Roberts from a script by Paddington 2 writer Simon Farnaby, shows what happens when that formula isn't finessed; when a film is allowed to drift into saccharine homilies at the expense of dramatic tension. The Maurice Flitcroft Spring Member-Guest was not the Honda Classic, but it was a lot of fun. Maurice Flitcroft genuinely believed he could win the Claret Jug. After his initiation into celebrity golf, Flitcroft briefly became a C-list celebrity and had various golf trophies (usually those celebrating poor play or egregious mishaps) named after him; he also had the distinction of having the "Maurice Gerald Flitcroft Member-Guest Tournament" named after him by the 1988 Blythefield Country Club in Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA. The R&A did not screen applications from pros, Lorna said. That was more than enough embarrassment for the R&A, which circulated Flitcrofts photo to all qualifying sites. An avid film buff, he feels lucky to have interviewed and written extensively about Hollywood's greatest talents. We used to do live stuff on stage together many moons ago. She stands by him through thick and thin. He quickly arouses the ire of tournament officials but becomes a hero to the common man. 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 A success, after all. - 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. Flitcroft kept trying to pull off his hoax in qualifying rounds in later years. I think that a lot of the humour arises because so many people take golf very seriously. She didnt say, Dont do it. 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. With the shipyard about to be privatised and Maurice out of a job, he decides at the urging of his wife that it's time to explore his dreams. Why should golf fans go and see the film? I saw Tiger Woods making a 10 on one hole. Flitcroft was outed. His family did very kindly send me his wonderful red hat, but it was too small, so we used a replica. Then 46 years old, Flitcroft shot 121, 49 over par. Rylance and Hawkins are magnificent. 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. AS unknown golfer Maurice Flitcroft teed up his ball to take a tilt at the sports most eminent tournament, something was clearly amiss. He got the brilliant idea to invite Mr. and Mrs. Flitcroft to the tournament the next year. Simple. Director Craig Roberts plonks Flitcroft into a surreal dream sequence in which the character ascends an Astroturf staircase in his dressing gown and slippers. I became aware of Flitcroft when he played that first time in the Open qualifier in 1976. You were allowed to tee off for about five minutes every other Tuesday (laughing). While the brothers took a fair amount of ribbing, it was far worse for Maurice who was given his marching orders from work. Related: Exclusive: Mark Rylance Reflects on Acting, Choices, and The Phantom of the Open. Farnaby joined WBGO Studios podcast SportsJam with Doug Doyle to talk about the film, his career and his love for the game of golf and Flitcroft's legendary story. I managed to whittle him down to lunch and 18 holes, only for him to move the goalposts on the day. By the time he was halfway round the course, red-faced officials were urgently trying to persuade Maurice to retire gracefully. I went and visited Barrow-in-Furness and met one of his surviving sons, James, and his grandchildren. Therell be less pressure that way, he said. Flitcroft prepared for the tournament by studying a golf instruction manual by Peter Alliss which was borrowed from his local library. He had a dream and he was inspired by it. I toured with a revue, and I used to jump into a tank on the stage, I was a stuntcomedy high diver. 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. His shots did not improve, as he blasted into bushes and skewed simple putts. British Airways sprung for tickets for the family. Maurice's efforts to learn golf are knockdown funny. The next problem had to do with the venue. Clips of Flitcrofts media appearances are shown towards the end to demonstrate that the I said, Dad, we have to take the tent down.. Heres a question thats been on my mind since hearing Maurice Flitcrofts life story is about to be celebrated in a feature length film: who missed out on a potential spot in the 1976 Open Championship because the imposter conned his way into Open Qualifying? Things were going a bit sideways for him, and he needed an adventure. Maurice worked diligently to provide a stable life for her and the children. 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. Registered Office: Media House, Peterborough Business Park, Lynch Wood, Peterborough. So he took up golf; well, sort of. It turned out he was not the gifted player he had claimed to be. 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. James insists he reached the standard of a decent club player and certainly was NOT the worlds worst. The missed opportunity is a shame, especially as there are glimpses of the full-tilt comedy struggling to escape the tea-and-crumpets sensibility. If you were given the opportunity to qualify for The Open tomorrow, would you feel confident of beating Maurices score? The Phantom of The Open opens on March 18. 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). READ NEXT:The Phantom of The Open reviewed. Ive made a lot of progress in the last few months and Im sorry I did not do any better.. He was the most besotted golfer I ever met. 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. Based on the biography from Simon Farnaby, The Phantom of the Open tells the hilarious and truly heartwarming story of a kind man brimming with optimism. 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. Alas, none of it ever happened. He always kept a very positive mindset about things, no matter how badly they were going. in a recent interview on the PGA website. It's a bit different now. Regardless of where those shots and the rest had ended up, Flitcrofts heart was in the right place. Following the 1976 Open, the rules were changed to prevent Flitcroft from attempting to enter again. Henrik Stenson was emerging from a previous showing when I arrived at the theatre. It's what the current parlance might call shudder 'nicecore'. 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'. Having said that he was going to slosh his drive, my opponent dispatched his ball into ferns, never to be seen again. His wife Jean noticed this and so informed him. The questions roll but all he wants is a cup of tea, with six sugars and if that joke's your, well, cup of tea, then you're probably going to have a swell time. 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 Though this, I promise, is not a blow-by-blow account of our 18 holes, the fourth hole has to be worth a mention. In those days, the juniors and the women were sort of second class citizens. He wasnt big-headed. 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. After the 1976 Open, with his dentures missing, he told photographers: Ill see you next year, fellas and praised the course putting greens because they resemble my living room carpet which I practise on every night. By the time of the 22nd Maurice G. Flitcroft Member-Guest Tournament, which was held in May 2000, the club had featured a green with two holes so that even the most errant of approaches were potentially rewarded. He and Ballesteros might have been miles apart in terms of talent, but they had one thing in common: they both learned Michael Catling is the Features Editor ofTodays Golfer. In desperation, Royal And Ancient secretary Keith Mackenzie played by Notting Hill actor Rhys Ifans in the new film employed a handwriting expert in an attempt to flush out the fake applications. If you love great journalism like this, you will love GGP+. [6], In a July 2006 article in Golfonline, Flitcroft said, "I was in show business. Farnaby says he and director Craig Roberts got the perfect actor for the role. Done well, as in the late Roger Michell's art heist comedy The Duke, it can be a winning formula. 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. Ive made a lot of progress in the last few months and Im sorry I did not do any better. Actually, the R&A told Flitcroft in no uncertain terms he wasnt playing the second round. The dissonance gives The Phantom of the Open what passes for a point of curiosity, with Rylance getting at something some essential derangement, whether from trauma, mental illness, or a childhood dream quashed that the script can't conjure, in a film that seems to be happening beyond the frame, where only he can see it. Flitcroft did not have a clue what that was all about but, since he possessed neither handicap nor a club membership at that stage, he ticked the box against Professional.. James says: We took up golf when we were ten or 11. He had been true to his word. 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. Heres a trailer for the film. 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 has written and appeared in films such as Mindhorn and Paddington 2, and in the BBC sitcom Detectorists. 679215 Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF. He lost his job, Mum went to work and he looked after us. Jean refuses to let anyone, including their children, belittle Maurice or his dream of being a golfer. A Swiss player supposedly by the name Gerald Hoppy managed nine holes at Pleasington in 1983. 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. 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