Maurice Flitcroft

Maurice Flitcroft

Maurice Gerald Flitcroft (23 November 1929 – 24 March 2007) was an audacious British amateur golfer and hoaxer.

Flitcroft was commonly referred to as "the world's worst golfer". As well as playing under his own name, he also entered golf competitions, including the Open again under the pseudonyms, Gene Paceky (as in paycheque), Gerald Hoppy and James Beau Jolley. Flitcroft was married to Jean (died 2002) by whom he had two sons - one of whom caddied for him.

He is the subject of a biography, "The Phantom of the Open", by Scott Murray and Simon Farnaby, published by Yellow Jersey Press in July 2010.

In his obituary, The Daily Telegraph commented thus:

Maurice Flitcroft ...was a chain-smoking shipyard crane- operator from Barrow-in-Furness whose persistent attempts to gatecrash the British Open golf championship produced a sense of humour failure among members of the golfing establishment.