The Greatest Game Ever Played is a 2005 biographical sports film, directed by Bill Paxton. The star Francis Ouimet is played by Shia LaBeouf. It is distributed by Walt Disney Studios, and is similar to their other fact-based sports dramas such as Remember the Titans (2000), The Rookie (2002), and Miracle (2004). The film's screenplay was adapted by Mark Frost from his book, The Greatest Game Ever Played: Harry Vardon, Francis Ouimet, and the Birth of Modern Golf.
Near the turn of the twentieth century, young Harry Vardon becomes a champion golfer but learns that his amazing skill is no match for the class boundaries that exclude him from "gentlemanly" English society. A dozen years later, a young American, Francis Ouimet, fights against the same prejudice, as well as his own father's disdain, for a chance to participate in the U.S. Open against his idol -- Harry Vardon. The struggles of both men for acceptance provides the background for an amazing contest of skills. Written by Jim Beaver
