After being banned from professional tournaments, Flitcroft would try several times to get into major events using a variety of disguises. 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. We are sorry that this post was not useful for you! [4] At other times he worked as a shoe polish salesman and an ice cream man. Having said that he was going to slosh his drive, my opponent dispatched his ball into ferns, never to be seen again. He tried to play a hand other than what was dealt to him. You know golf clubs are like little sorts of parliaments. I hope he enjoyed it as much as we did. I heard he was writing a book and managed to track him down. Maurice gets invited to play in the British Open. Maurice and Jean have twin teenage disco-dancing sons, Gene (Christian Lees) and James (Jonah Lees), along with Michael (Jake Davies) who studied hard, went to college, and became a manager in the shipyard's office. Michael joined Todays Golfer in 2016 and has exclusively interviewed dozens of Major champions, including Jordan Spieth, Tom Watson, Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus. I spoke to Flitcroft via telephone when I worked for Golf Monthly in the mid 1990s. Rylance and Hawkins are magnificent. Flitcroft, Moore said, was a big hit with the audience. And, I expect, Rylance as Flitcroft will be a big hit with anybody who sees the film and I hope it itself is a big hit. Well, it was the first film I made during the pandemic in 2020. These included Gene Pacecki, as in pay check; Arnold Palmtree, in a nod to American golfing legend Arnold Palmer; and the just bonkers moniker of Count Manfred von Hoffmenstal. Happy Gilmore, Caddyshack, Tin Cup, stand aside and give Maurice Flitcroft a chance\"--The Observer \"The tale's essential warmth and heart make it well worth the read. The next minute hes got himself a set of clubs and is practising every day.. Its pin high, dad, he cried. Flitcroft kept trying to pull off his hoax in qualifying rounds in later years. Flitcroft refused to be defined by harsh criticism, mockery, and the scorn of an elitist golf culture. Are you kidding? I always get together with Terry when we visit her family there, and we never fail to talk about that 1988 Maurice Flitcroft Spring Member-Guest. He entered the qualifier for the Open that year. Flitcroft recalled, "I was looking to find fame and fortune but only achieved one of the two". (Wonder if the scorecard still exists?). 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. 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. Jean encourages Maurice to find a passion for himself. Flitcroft was married to Jean (died 2002) by whom he had two sons, one of whom caddied for him. Such steps, he thought, would enable him to play in the 94 Open under his own name and as an amateur. She had let Flitcrofts entry application through, although she wasnt the only one at the R&A who had seen it. On each occasion, officialdom had refused to give him back his entry fee. Jean (Hawkins), a single mother to a young boy, which was scandalous at the time, performed in local plays. He lost his job, Mum went to work and he looked after us. Oscar-winning actor Mark Rylance (pictured) plays Flitcroft, while actor and filmmaker Craig Roberts is the films director. I guess you would call it a docker in the U.S. but that was the only option. Who cares? that was the family attitude. But I hit a lot of good shots.. Heres a trailer for the film. 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. The same applied with ball No. We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the lands where we live, learn, and work. What attracted you to playing Maurice Flitcroft in The Phantom of The Open? We have kept that throughout life. "My dad was a greenskeeper at Ganton Golf Club (Scarborough, UK) northeast of England, which is quite a prestigious golf club but I don't know what it's like in the (United) States but greenskeepers are sort of seen as the lower echelons. This service is provided on News Group Newspapers' Limited's Standard Terms and Conditions in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy. Use tab to navigate through the menu items. Maurice's efforts to learn golf are knockdown funny. The Phantom of the Open rests on the mighty shoulders of Rylance. Following a mad flash of a swing, his ball shot over the wall and bounded down the tarmac. Former tailor and jeweller James says: Because of what hed done, he virtually made himself unemployable. He used them as an inspiration and tried to do his best. The very name Flitcroft might still be enough to prompt the odd heart attack among R&A personnel. I think he shot in the low 90s." The great day arrived, and the enormity of the occasion began to hit him when a car-park attendant ushered him into a space in the competitors carpark. 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. 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. Flitcroft spoke at the dinner. Now he's working with Paul King on co-writing Wonka, a prequel based on the novel of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl. There was no mention of his playing in the Ryder Cup, but he hoped to have a series of lessons and get himself a handicap in the process. Maurice Gerald Flitcroft (23 November 1929 24 March 2007) was a British golfer. 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. After he shot 121 the R&A was aghast that someone could beat the system.. 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 So when I first heard of Maurice (pronounced Morris), he was like one of us. He would shot the Open's record worst score of 121. I sort of fell in love with golf. 3 had stopped just short of the green, patience was wearing a little thin. Flitcroft was outed. We were about 12. The Phantom of the Open recounts their stalwart marriage with a tender touch. Henrik Stenson was emerging from a previous showing when I arrived at the theatre. Farnaby and Scott Murray's 2010 book The Phantom of the Open: Maurice Flitcroft the World's Worst Golfer is from Yellow Jersey Press. Fitting then that Sir Mark Rylance had only played a We used to do live stuff on stage together many moons ago. Rather was our lunch-time discussion devoted to the three seven irons which, for some reason, had met with his full approval. 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 But his game had gotten a little better than I expected. "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. Regardless of where those shots and the rest had ended up, Flitcrofts heart was in the right place. [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]. 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. Web99 Likes, TikTok video from Emily (@emily_donman): "But honestly, there was no clue on the subject? Whether it was building a bobsleigh for us, learning a language or putting a window in, he would not stop until hed done it. hipyard crane operator Maurice Flitcroft (. 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.. Our hero gave the Open a miss in 1977 but, by using a pseudonym, he tried again in 1978 and 79. Mark Rylance plays a would-be golfer who gatecrashes the Open in this upbeat comedy-drama based on a true story. He wouldnt be shamed for that and thats an important lesson, especially for young people. I toured with a revue, and I used to jump into a tank on the stage, I was a stuntcomedy high diver. Local golfing bigwigs were also none too pleased about Maurice having shown up the sport, and promptly blackballed him. In those days, the juniors and the women were sort of second class citizens. He also used hats and pseudonyms. (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.). Some faults had crept into my swing. Maurice Gerald Flitcroft was a British golfer and audacious I saw Tiger Woods making a 10 on one hole. That he had lost every hole in our game never got a mention, either from me or from him. Far fetched? Then on the Saturday The Sun had a banner headline that Maurice Flitcroft shot 121 in the Open. 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. 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. So he took up golf; well, sort of. He didn't know anything about golf. Undeterred by failure (and a lifetime ban), he re-enters under a fresh alias, donning a French accent and a moustache. Maurice Flitcroft follows Seve Ballesteros at The Open. 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. The second act documents their financial hardships. You got your president and it goes all the way down to the lowest rung which is the greenskeeper. Wonder if Flitcrofts life will be glammed up? 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 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. In 2017, Farnaby co-wrote Paddington 2 with Paul King. 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. I did watch a lot of golf on TV during the filming. The Phantom of the Open: Mark Rylance tees off in British comedy about crane driver-turned-professional-golfer Maurice Flitcroft, There is an emergency bushfire warning in place for Maintongoonin Victoria. Ive made a lot of progress in the last few months and Im sorry I did not do any better.. Flitcroft kept trying to pull off his hoax in qualifying rounds in later years. He entered one tournament as General Hoppy of France, wearing a drooping moustache. He's on American television sometime in the 80s, where his notoriously inept golfing has become a cult human interest item. In its obituary of Flitcroft, The Daily Telegraph commented: Maurice Flitcroft was a chain-smoking shipyard crane-operator from Barrow-in-Furness whose persistent attempts to gatecrash the British Open golf championship produced a sense of humour failure among members of the golfing establishment. 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. 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. Maurice Flitcroft genuinely believed he could win the Claret Jug. 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. No disservice to the Tim Burton film, but I adore the Gene Wilder film, the 1973 version (Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory) even all the sets were made of plastic". Sorry. Perhaps those who now work in the R&A entries department should raise a wee toast to Flitcroft once a year for giving them a job. 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. It was the same with golf clubs. Theres an earnestness to Rylances performance, which encourages us to find inspiration in the underdog. I managed to whittle him down to lunch and 18 holes, only for him to move the goalposts on the day. 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? The Phantom of the Open is a gem that deserves to be seen. When he chances upon a game of golf while watching TV one evening, hes launched into a new world. He entered as Gerald Hoppy and made it into a qualifying round in 1984, dressed up as a suave Swiss and sporting a moustache. Sally Hawkins amazes as the ultimate partner in life. The sporting world might have treated him as a joke but he had wanted to become a great golfer. 'The Phantom of the Open' Brings Maurice Flitcroft's Amusing, Inspiring Story to Big Screen New movie, based off a book by the same name, chronicles a British 8 min read Watch: Trailer for The Phantom of the Open Golf course chancer Maurice Flitcroft became notorious in the 1970s after he 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. Literally. Buy it, folks. He had his own definition of who he was, regardless of the contrary evidence. An avid film buff, he feels lucky to have interviewed and written extensively about Hollywood's greatest talents. What a subject. No, we couldnt because of the pandemic. At the end of our round at Windermere, Flitcroft told me that he was not bothering with that years Open at Royal St Georges but would instead be heading for The Belfry. I went and visited Barrow-in-Furness and met one of his surviving sons, James, and his grandchildren. Farnaby grew up around golf and first remembers hearing about Flitcroft when he was around 11 years old. Michael informs his father that the crane crew will be trimmed. They were an old-fashioned couple, James says: They supported each other in every endeavour. She was a co-conspirator.. The R&A did not screen applications from pros, Lorna said. On each occasion he was chased from the course by a referee. Help keep family & friends informed by sharing this article, Marie has been charged with reprehensible crimes. [4], Flitcroft was born in Manchester on 23 November 1929. A major you might say, I wrote, in my Globe column. Even though Maurice talked golf all the time, he never had complaints from wife Jean, played by Paddington actress Sally Hawkins in the movie. 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. Simple. That was an incredible experience. When Maurice Flitcroft (Mark Rylance) imagines the moon as a golf ball, hes looking for a new way to make a living. Mark Rylance stars as Maurice Flitcroft, 'The World's Worst Golfer', in The Phantom of The Open. 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. Maurice had a very cheap set. Maurice Flitcroft, who holds the record for the highest score ever recorded in the Open Championship - 121 in 1976 - goes to the States, where a tournament's been He gave Maurice that dignity and failure that he needed. The Maurice Flitcroft Spring Member-Guest was not the Honda Classic, but it was a lot of fun. The Phantom of The Open opens on March 18. 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. "I worked with her in the Paddington movies and before that we go way back. 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. It's what the current parlance might call shudder 'nicecore'. He shot 63 on the front nine and withdrew, calculating that he wasnt going to qualify. Maurice Flitcroft. He has written and appeared in films such as Mindhorn and Paddington 2, and in the BBC sitcom Detectorists. He was dubbed the worlds worst golfer and made headlines around the world. But the familys income did not stretch to golf club membership. [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. He was one of the first house-husbands.. She stands by him through thick and thin. Moore, who still writes regularly for Michigan Golfer, where he was the founding editor, remembers the Flitcrofts with great fondness. 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. A crane operator in the local shipyard in Barrow-on-Furness, where he lived, he decided to take up golf as an avocation after coming across the 1975 Open on television. 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. 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). Its the more-or-less true story of Maurice Flitcroft, a crane operator for Vickers-Armstrongs shipyard in Barrow-in-Furness who took up golf in his mid-forties after seeing it Well, to punish him for signing up as a professional and making it impossible to play on any course was really unnecessary and nasty. The Phantom of the Open resounds on many levels. A former member of Ufford Park and Burghley Park, Michael has been playing golf since he was 11 and currently plays off a handicap of 10. He had a very strong sense of justice, probably more so than we depicted in the film. 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. Son James says: My mum dyed his moustache and hair. He did try again in 1991, but a sharp-eyed employee recognized his signature. We first meet Maurice Flitcroft (Rylance) sitting for a television interview. He had a dream and he was inspired by it. He was a comedy high diver, he was a stunt diver and he couldn't do that either. 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. No handicap required on the entry form. First, Flitcroft was no different to any of the other well-known names of the day in asking for appearance money and expenses. Okay, maybe just a tad. It's a bit different now. Maurice Flitcroft, who first hit the headlines in 1976 when he had an opening 121 in Open Qualifying at Formby, died in 2007. His entry was accepted. He kept true to his dream. Most of the management played golf. Flitcroft wasnt even a member of a golf club. British Airways sprung for tickets for the family. Maurice would end up operating a crane at the dreary Vickers-Armstrongs shipyard. 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Not, mind you, that it was easily arranged. Moore, Terry that is, had played in the 1987 Flitcroft as a guest. A Swiss player supposedly by the name Gerald Hoppy managed nine holes at Pleasington in 1983. 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. The revue used to tour all the country and I would dive into this tank. An open championship should be open to everyone, says Flitcroft, who has his eyes on the competitions 10,000 prize. Contrary evidence scandalous at the dreary Vickers-Armstrongs shipyard thats an important lesson, especially for people! I toured with a revue, and his grandchildren by him through thick and thin spoke to via... Pull off his hoax in qualifying rounds in later years fitting then that Sir Mark plays. 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