The Phantom Of The Open. Maurice Flitcroft (Mark Rylance)
The Phantom Of The Open

The Phantom Of The Open

  • 2022 film

Comedy film from Simon Farnaby about a dreadful golfer who blagged his way into the 1976 British Open. Also features Mark Rylance, Sally Hawkins, Rhys Ifans, Jake Davies, Christian Lees and more.

Press clippings

Phantom Of The Open: How Maurice Flitcroft tricked the R&A

Dubbed the 'world's worst golfer', Flitcroft had shot to prominence more than a decade earlier with a record score of 121 in his ill-fated quest to qualify for the 1976 Open Championship. It was an attempt he would repeat several times more, using fake names in an extraordinary game of cat-and-mouse with tournament organisers the R&A.

Peter Scrivener, BBC, 13th July 2022

Film review: The Phantom Of The Open

The Phantom Of The Open is Mark Rylance's vehicle to strut both his comic and dramatic chops and is destined to find an appreciative audience.

Thomas Duffy, Film Book, 27th June 2022

How I gatecrashed the open

The Daily Mail's film critic Brian Viner tells the incredible story of how he found himself alongside living legends at St Andrews - a carbon copy of a tale of cunning now gracing the silver screen as The Phantom Of The Open.

Brian Viner, Daily Mail, 21st March 2022

Mark Rylance is startlingly funny in The Phantom Of The Open

The actor channels Peter Sellers in this zippy story of the world's worst golfer.

Tom Shone, The Sunday Times, 21st March 2022

Simon Farnaby interview

Screenwriter Simon Farnaby describes Maurice Flitcroft's underdog status as "Eddie the Eagle times a thousand".

Yahoo, 19th March 2022

The Phantom Of The Open tries just that little bit too hard

Coming dangerously close to depicting Flitcroft as some sort of Cumbrian Forrest Gump, it's a tick-and-teeth-driven performance that seems to have been assembled from bits left over from performances he's given before.

Matthew Bond, Daily Mail, 19th March 2022

The Phantom Of The Open review

Impostor at the Open who'll hack his way into your heart.

Brian Viner, Daily Mail, 18th March 2022

The Phantom Of The Open: Gentle comedy makes the cut

True-ish comedy celebrates 'world's worst golfer'.

Donald Clarke, The Irish Times, 18th March 2022

The Phantom Of The Open review

Mark Rylance plays golfing imposter Maurice Flitcroft in a buoyantly comedic take on this astonishing true-life tale.

Emma Simmonds, The List, 18th March 2022

The Phantom Of The Open review

Dreams ace reality for Mark Rylance's deadpan comic underdog.

Nick Hasted, The Arts Desk, 17th March 2022

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