It’s funny how a person’s actions can be viewed in completely different ways by different people. Director Craig Roberts’ (Submarine) new film, The Phantom of the Open, stars Mark Rylance as Maurice Flitcroft, whose story is referred to as “heartwarming” for qualifying for the 1976 British Open Golf Championship, and shooting the worst round in history. But Flitcroft was no simple dreamer, he was a notorious hoaxster and scam artist, who repeatedly tried to trick his way back into the championship for years after rules were put in place against people like him.
So while some see Flitcroft as a folk hero, others see him as an attention seeker who didn’t mind his title as “world’s worst golfer.”
Joining Rylance in the film are Sally Hawkins, Rhys Ifans, and Jake Davies, Christian Lees, Jonah Lees, Mark Lewis Jones, and Johann Myers. Simon Farnaby adapted the script from his own novel, which he co-wrote with Scott Murray.
The Phantom of the Open releases on June 3rd coutesy of Sony Pictures Classics.
THE PHANTOM OF THE OPEN tells the heartwarming true story of Maurice Flitcroft (Mark Rylance), a dreamer and unrelenting optimist. This humble crane operator from Barrow-in-Furness managed to gain entry to The British Open Golf Championship qualifying in 1976, despite never playing a round of golf before. He shot the worst round in Open history and drew the ire of the golfing elite, but became a folk hero in the process and, more importantly, showed his family the importance of pursuing your dreams.
