GOLF MOVIE The Phantom of The Open to be released in Australia in July

This is unusual, a golf movie getting some decent reviews.

The Phantom of The Open is released in Australian cinemas on July 14, 2022 – same day The Open Championship starts and tells the story of “the world’s worst golfer”.

It’s all loosely based on the story of Maurice Flitcroft, which Wikipedia describes as “British golfer and audacious hoaxer”:

Flitcroft became notorious after hitting a score of 121 in the qualifying competition for the 1976 Open Championship—the worst score recorded at the Open Championship—and by a self-professed “professional golfer”. Subsequently, he gained significant media attention, being referred to as “the world’s worst golfer”. Following the 1976 Open, the rules were changed to prevent Flitcroft from attempting to enter again. Undeterred, he regularly attempted to enter the Open and several other golf competitions, either under his own name or under pseudonyms such as Gene Paycheki (as in pay cheque), Gerald Hoppy, and James Beau Jolley. Other more ludicrous names used were Arnold Palmtree and Count Manfred von Hoffmanstel together with physical disguises such as wearing a false moustache and dark glasses.

Mark Kermode has already reviewed The Phantom of The Open and given it the thumbs up describing it as “very charming, very funny”.

Anyway, here is the trailer. Stick around ’til the end. Seve makes an appearance.