The Open Championship is the oldest and most prestigious golf tournament in the world.
The first Open was held at Prestwick in 1860, and Royal Portrush will host the 153rd edition next week.
Players at The Open have to battle Mother Nature and golf courses which are laid out in their rawest form.
There have been some truly memorable moments throughout the years at The Open, with some of the very best players ever to have graced the game lifting the Claret Jug.
Bobby Jones, Ben Hogan, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson and Tiger Woods are just some of the names who have been successful in professional golf’s oldest competition.
However, one man who didn’t have anywhere the same skillset as those mentioned above attempted to emulate the world’s best players by qualifying for The Open…on seven separate occasions!
Maurice Flitcroft – the golfer who tried to con his way into The Open
Back in 1976, Maurice Flitcroft attempted to qualify for The Open Championship at Royal Birkdale.
Flitcroft turned up at Formby with the dream of playing in The Open and posted a score of 121 – the worst score ever recorded in Open Qualifying.
He didn’t bother to play the second 18 holes, nor would he have been allowed to, in all probability.
The R&A gave him a lifetime ban from entering every single one of the tournaments under their jurisdiction. However, he was undeterred.
Flitcroft created numerous aliases including Gene Paycheki, Gerald Hoppy, James Beau Jolley, Arnold Palmtree and Count Manfred von Hoffmanstel.
He even changed his appearance, donning glasses and fake moustaches in order to try to con the R&A into allowing him entry into Open Qualifying.
Flitcroft attempted to enter Open qualifying a further six times after his disastrous showing at Formby in 1976.
He was successful once under the alias of ‘Gerald Hoppy’ before being rumbled by officials after nine holes and thrown off the course.
The R&A deployed a handwriting expert in the end, in an attempt to rebuff any application made to qualify by Flitcroft, or Hoppy, or Palmtree, and so on and so on.
Flitcroft sadly passed away in 2007, but his name will forever be in the golfing history books due to his inventive attempts at playing in The Open.
Walter Danecki pioneered the path that Flitcroft followed
Back in 1965, American Walter Danecki blagged his way into Open Qualifying ahead of the Open Championship which was ironically at Royal Birkdale as well.
The man from Wisconsin had no experience of playing elite level golf and posted a two-round total of 221.
Danecki was banned from future entries into Open Qualifying, and interestingly, he was the man who Flitcroft gained inspiration from.
There was a film made about Flitcroft’s years of trying to deceive the R&A. The Phantom of The Open is about as close to a true story as you will find, and it is well worth a watch.
Flitcroft had a dream and boy, did he chase it.
Receive exclusive golf news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
