WEEKEND HISTORY LESSON: MAURICE FLITCROFT

By kickntrue on 7/16/10

I'm ashamed to say that I didn't know the story of Maurice Flitcroft. You'll want to check this out! Flitcroft is famouse for carding the worst round in British Open history- a 121. He showed up at the first tee with plastic shoes and mail-order clubs.

The Royal and Ancient, the body charged with running the sport, and its then secretary Keith Mackenzie were not pleased when they realized that Flitcroft had discovered a loophole.

When Flitcroft received an application form from the R&A requiring proof of his handicap, which every amateur was obliged to provide, he merely ticked the box marked: "Professional."

"We noticed something was wrong when he found he had 15 clubs in his golf bag and his caddy had to leave one in the shop," said Howard, who went on to become the first black golfer to join the British PGA.

Wait- there's more!

Little did they know that it was the start of an amazing story that would pit Flitcroft against the golfing establishment over the next two decades as he tried, tried and tried again to qualify for the Open in increasingly bizarre ways, making him a folk hero for hackers and sporting romantics alike on both sides of the Atlantic as he chased his improbable dream.

...

Each time he turned up at a qualifying event he managed to avoid detection with a string of disguises: a large handlebar moustache dyed in food coloring was one; a deer-stalker hat was another.

But he would then be asked to leave after a succession of horrendous shots, long before he had reached the 10th hole, sometimes after being chased off by irate R&A officials.

Please do check out the whole story! Sure, it's absolutely insane and yes, a mockery to the sport, but in some ways in the recesses of my heart I can't but help thinking Maurice was absolutely brilliant!

Full Story - CNN.com


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