A film about the remarkable true story of Maurice Flitcroft, the crane operator from Barrow-in-Furness who managed to hoodwink the R&A into letting him take part in final qualifying for the 1976 Open Championship, despite never having played golf before, is set to hit the cinema screens next week.
The Phantom of the Open, which sees Oscar-winning actor Mark Rylance playing Flitcroft, will be shown in cinemas throughout the UK and Ireland from March 18. The film was due to be released last November, but was delayed by Covid.
Flitcroft entered Open Qualifying in 1976 as a professional, despite never having played on a golf course before, and racked up a 49-over-par score of 121 in his opening round before he was rumbled by the R&A, asked to leave the course and banned from future tournaments. He tried, unsuccessfully, to enter subsequent Open qualifying events using aliases such as Gene Paychecky and James Beau Jolley.
The film is directed by filmmaker and actor Craig Roberts, from a screenplay by Simon Farnaby, who adapted the script from his own book, The Phantom of the Open: Maurice Flitcroft, The World’s Worst Golfer’, which was co-written by Scott Murray.
The cast also includes Academy Award nominee Sally Hawkins, who plays Maurice’s long-suffering wife Jean, and BAFTA nominee Rhys Ifans, who shines in his role as R&A secretary Keith Mackenzie.
Craig Roberts said: “I’m extremely grateful that Sony Pictures Classics share our love for Maurice and his wonderful story. I’m very proud of what our cast and crew have created, and I hope that Maurice’s superpowers make the world a better place.”
The film has a 12A certificate and has a running time of 106 minutes.
