Phantom of the Open

Date: 07/02/2023 Times: 7:30 pm - 9:15 pm

The Phantom of the Open is a biopic of a refreshingly under-told story of an amateur player that let nothing stop him from etching his name into golf history. Despite overwhelming failure and lifetime bans, Maurice Flitcroft (Mark Rylance) re-enters the British Open multiple times with pseudonyms and disguises, gate-crashing the highest echelons of the golf world regardless of its numerous attempts to permanently oust him. Craig Roberts’s film is a sincere yet deeply amusing and outrageously comical story of an unanticipated role model.It’s an utterly joyous, touching, and oddly inspiring film. It also stars Sally Hawkins and the screenplay is by Simon Farnaby, who appears on TV in Ghosts, as well as writing for it.

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.

Venue: William Loveless Hall