The film tells the true story of Maurice Flitcroft, a dreamer and unrelenting optimist, who managed to enter the 1976 British Open Golf 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 Local golfing bigwigs were also none too pleased about Maurice having shown up the sport, and promptly blackballed him. Years later in the early seventies, the Vickers-Armstrongs company decides to cut its work force. In 1988, Flitcroft himself was flown to Blythefield to play in the event. View our online Press Pack. Your email address will not be published. Arnold Palmtree, Count Manfred von Hoffmenstal and James Beau Jolley were other aliases Flitcroft used to try to dupe the R&A. 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 Former tailor and jeweller James says: Because of what hed done, he virtually made himself unemployable. Buy it, folks. Mark said I've never been offered a comedy before, so we thought 'Oh God', but of course he's brilliant. He was the most besotted golfer I ever met. 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. When he chances upon a game of golf while watching TV one evening, hes launched into a new world. 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". He did try again in 1991, but a sharp-eyed employee recognized his signature. He humorously recalls growing up during World War II when dreams of fancy were put on hold. The Phantom of the Open is a production of Ingenious, Water & Power, Baby Cow Films, BBC Film, Cornerstone Films, and BFI. Back in the day, he promised his wife, Jean (Sally Hawkins), champagne, caviar and diamonds. 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.. I had met her when we both worked at the Royal Canadian Golf Association (now Golf Canada). He kept true to his dream. The Phantom of the Open rests on the mighty shoulders of Rylance. 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. He, too, was stopped in his tracks after a few holes. Top 59 Best Public Golf Courses in Canada, Need to know: Another designated event, limited LPGA field and a veteran called into action, The CP Womens Open is returning to Calgary in 2024, to be held at Earl Grey Golf Club, February was a fantastic month for the PGA Tour, with drama and storylines aplenty, A simple idea has morphed into sudden success for Red Rooster Golf founders and friends, Eric Cole is neither a superstar nor a celebrity, but his story is worth knowing. Julian Roman has been with Movieweb for nearly twenty years. He believed that an individual should pursue happiness when possible. The film is called The Phantom of the Open. It will open in Canada and the U.S. in June. Maurice Flitcroft was not a golfer, but that didnt stop him trying to qualify for golfs most famous tournament. I said, Dad, we have to take the tent down.. 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. Starring Mark Rylance and Sally Hawkins, watch the delightful #ThePhantomOfTheOpen tee off only in cinemas March 18. pic.twitter.com/lh6bRdbDMv. Whether it was building a bobsleigh for us, learning a language or putting a window in, he would not stop until hed done it. "I think Steven Spielberg said Mark Rylance is the best actor in the world. If you were given the opportunity to qualify for The Open tomorrow, would you feel confident of beating Maurices score? Indeed, Maurice played up to the attention of the Press. Its pin high, dad, he cried. Hes got to start somewhere, hasnt he? she said. I toured with a revue, and I used to jump into a tank on the stage, I was a stuntcomedy high diver. Despite the inherent silliness, the actors play it straight. 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 was the same again in 83 and 84, The 83 edition was the biggest disappointment of all in that he made it to the turn an achievement in itself, even if the score was no better than 63 before being dismissed. You can SEE the entire SportsJam interview with Simon Farnaby here. Even though Maurice talked golf all the time, he never had complaints from wife Jean, played by Paddington actress Sally Hawkins in the movie. He's portrayed with a casual brilliance by the consummate thespian, Mark Rylance. Its imaginative delivery and superb acting are an absolute joy to behold. As for the player who missed out at Formby in 1976 because Flitcroft stole his place, he probably has Walter Mitty-like dreams about beating Miller and Ballesteros over the closing holes in the greatest championship ever played. He is the subject of a biography, The Phantom of the Open, by Scott Murray and Simon Farnaby, published by Yellow Jersey Press in July 2010.[1]. James says: We took up golf when we were ten or 11. They congratulated him on his one par but, at the close of the day, they made plain that their own golf had suffered. #interview #magazine #orkney #journaling #uk #fyp #seaswimming #orkney A smitten Maurice proposes marriage. Farnaby says Flitcroft's journey is amazing considering where he came from. He had told his bosses he was ill, so it came as a great surprise to them to see photos of him strolling along behind Seve Ballesteros at the Open after failing to qualify. Go for it, what the hell! Mighty proud he was of them, too. Having said that he was going to slosh his drive, my opponent dispatched his ball into ferns, never to be seen again. He said he would be invoicing my newspaper, the Daily Telegraph, for lost balls. 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. 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. 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. They'd call him shipyard fodder. He wasnt big-headed. 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? He was one of the first house-husbands.. Flitcroft was taking his golf as seriously as any of his professional counterparts but, on the rare occasion when we werent looking for golf balls, he regaled me with details of his career. I never actually played a full 18-hole round. His entry was accepted. 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. Glory days. "I've tried to work out what it is about what we really love about him. It may have been out of bounds but, in the eyes of his mostly loyal son, the shot was not without its redeeming features. What did you admire most about Maurice and his story? We were annoyed about that growing up. By 1992, Maurice had developed a hip problem which finally convinced him to pack away his golf clubs. Subscribe. 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. Though it's his third feature behind the lens, actor-turned-director Roberts is probably still better known to audiences as the star of Richard Ayoade's charming coming-of-age debut, Submarine. 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 and wife Jean came up with the idea. That he had lost every hole in our game never got a mention, either from me or from him. James says: He was fined for playing on the grammar school field, about a 100 yards away from where we lived.. Undeterred by failure (and a lifetime ban), he re-enters under a fresh alias, donning a French accent and a moustache. 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