Justin Thomas among the golf pros appearing in ‘Happy Gilmore 2’

Posted by author February 7, 2025 Golf

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The moderator at Justin Thomas’ press conference for the PGA Tour’s WM Phoenix Open had just asked the former Alabama All-American, “We’ve heard that you’ve tried some acting this past year in ‘Happy Gilmore 2.’ Can you tell us about that?” when an interloper barged into the proceedings.

“Hold on,” the press-conference crasher said as he took a seat. “I’ve seen this guy act, seen JT act. His game is good. His golf game is good. His acting is good. Just not as good as the Shooter. Just saying.”

Joining Thomas was actor Christopher McDonald, who is reprising his role as arrogant golfer Shooter McGavin from “Happy Gilmore” in “Happy Gilmore 2.”

The original 1996 movie starring Adam Sandler now has sequel, produced by Netflix, which released a teaser on Thursday showing some of the pro golfers who join Sandler and McDonald in “Happy Gilmore 2,” including Thomas, Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler, Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka and Will Zalatoris.

In “Happy Gilmore,” Sandler’s character is a long-driving, failed hockey player out to win enough money in golf to save his grandmother’s home.

About the sequel, McDonald said, he couldn’t “really talk too much about it because it’s under wraps, but it’s going to be awesome.”

“It’s got so much heart and so much humor that it’s going to — I think new generations are going to eat it up because it’s a rare and beautiful thing,” McDonald said, “and Netflix went above and beyond at making it the best. It’s going to be very surprisingly funny. …

“I’ve been an ambassador for this movie for so many years, and I’m so glad it’s finally come to fruition. It’s going to be off the hook. Everyone is going to be really, really happy with it.”

Thomas said he was delighted to appear in the film because he is “obsessed with ‘Happy Gilmore.’”

“It was so cool to be around everybody,” Thomas said, “and be around Chris and just all of it. I mean, that movie, that generation of movies is literally what we grew up on, and I realized how many Adam Sandler quotes I use in my daily life when I’m around him because I obviously felt uncomfortable saying them around him, and that’s when I realized that he’s a part of my childhood and growing up more than I realized. It was a very cool experience.”

Thomas opened the Waste Management Open with a 5-under-par 66 at the TPC Scottsdale Stadium Course in Scottdale, Arizona. That’s two shots off the lead, although not all the golfers completed their first round before play was halted by darkness.

Thomas has played in three events this year, highlighted by a second-place showing at The American Express.

“Playing solid,” Thomas said. “I didn’t have the result I necessarily wanted last week or even at Kapalua. I felt like last week I played a little better than some of the scores showed. I kind of struggled with — the poa annua greens got to me a little bit.

“But it’s just kind of trying to continue to build on stuff I’ve been working on and progress I’ve been making and not trying to reinvent the wheel by any means. Yeah, built a lot off of Palm Springs and Amex because that was a lot of really, really good golf that week.”

Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X at @AMarkG1.