The Round Table: Probably not the target audience for Happy Gilmore 2
Each week, we ask our panel of writers, PGA members and golf industry experts to weigh in with their views on the hot topics of the day.
The much anticipated and hyped Happy Gilmore 2 dropped last week. The plot included a thinly veiled shot at LIV Golf and dozens of cameos from current and past PGA Tour and LPGA stars. What was your take on the movie? And was it as good or better than the original?
Jim Deeks, Fairways Magazine (@jimdeeks): I have no idea. I haven’t seen it, and don’t expect I will unless I have nothing else to do one evening when the Jays aren’t playing. I thought the original Happy Gilmore was hugely overrated, both as a comedy and a golf film, so my opinion on the sequel wouldn’t count much anyway.
Craig Loughry, Golf Ontario (@craigloughry): The movie was OK – I laughed at parts – but it was not nearly as good as the original. By no means was I expecting a masterpiece, but I did expect a little better. It wasn’t a complete whiff though. I thought Scheffler’s lines were good, and he poked fun at himself, went along with it.
Michael Schurman, Master Professional / Hall of Fame Member, PGA of Canada: The damage caused by the first movie cannot be overstated. Thousands of kids and adults with less intelligence than most kids were influenced by the careless, senseless, idiotic actions of Adam Sandler. Yes, he is funny, but as a golf instructor with over 60 years of experience, my number one concern is safety. I won’t watch number two.
TJ Rule, Golf Away Tours (@GolfAwayTJ): I haven’t had the chance to see it yet but have heard mixed reviews. I like the scene where Scottie gets arrested, well played! I will see it sometime soon, interested to see how the golf pros handled themselves in making a movie. Can’t imagine it’s better than the original though!
Hal Quinn, Freelance Writer, Vancouver: Among millions of others, have never found Sandler even remotely funny. Marshalled at Furry Creek — on the way to Whistler from Vancouver — and every few weeks was asked by millennials; “Which one is the Happy Gilmore hole?” Had to confess that having never even thought of watching the movie, had no idea what hole they were talking about. It wasn’t a big marketing thing to the management of the day. It is being pimped now — a little late, eh? — but my reaction is the same: nothing to see there.
Peter Mumford, Fairways Magazine (@FairwaysMag): I’m not much of a Sandler fan but when HG2 dropped last week, I was curious to see what all the excitement was, so I watched the original for the first time, 30 years late. It was typical Sandler corny but overall quite humourous. Then I watched the sequel. Cornier, goofier and not nearly as funny. The player cameos were great but —SPOILER ALERT—how could they kill off Julie Bowen’s character?
21-year-old Lottie Woad of England is the latest LPGA Tour sensation. She won the Scottish Women’s Open on Sunday in her first event as a professional and in previous weeks, she won the Irish Open and finished 3rd at the Evian Championship as an amateur. Woad also had been the top ranked amateur in the world and in 2024 won the Augusta National Women’s Amateur. Woad looks like the real deal and could become an LPGA superstar. What’s your take on her upside?
Deeks: Well, good for Lottie. I wish her years of success, because she seems like a quiet, humble, and very polite young English woman, and therefore, I’m already a fan. And I love her charming name! She does indeed look like the real deal.
Loughry: Woad certainly has proven early on here she has world class game. Sustainable? She seems very consistent, I think as she matures, she ends up ranked #1 on the LPGA Tour at some point.
Schurman: I watched her at Augusta and have high praise for her game. Professional tour golf is a different deal. Logistics, travel, obligations, and time management must all be considered. She has the game; can she live that lifestyle?
Rule: Well, it would seem the sky is the limit based on her last 12 months of work! I made sure to tune in on Sunday to watch her back nine and she had no fear, event taking out driver on 18 despite her two playing partners blowing tee shots way right just in front of her. And she piped it. No worry that she then laid up when only 180 from the pin, but she still made birdie. Of course, Rose Zhang seemed like a superstar in the making when she won her pro debut, so we have to wait and see. But what a start to her career!
Quinn: Don’t know if Woad will be enough to haul the Tour into profitability or beyond vague interest from golfers who also watch TV, but she seems like the nearest thing. Korda’s brilliant season didn’t move the needle much despite the data indicating that non-American winners don’t either. It’s a tough sell in a golf world where the men’s #1 has a reading list shorter than Trump’s. Good luck to Woad, here’s to her surviving the gauntlet awaiting.
Mumford: Lots of pressure on the rookie but so far, she seems not to be fazed. Every facet of her game looks solid, and she seems to be a smart game manager. Ultimately though, her success will be dependent on how good her team is at managing life outside the ropes and the business side of golf, so that she only has to focus on playing. The pro lifestyle is a huge change and may take her a year or two to adjust. Then watch out – I think she has superstar potential.
Once again, LIV Golf has applied to be part of the Official World Golf Rankings. While the application has not been made public, based on the last rejection it’s assumed to include several changes to the LIV Golf format going forward. What do you think LIV Golf needs to change to be acceptable this time around?
Deeks: I have always held the view that greed is the most reprehensible of the seven deadly sins. And in my opinion, greed was the prime motivator behind the players’ abandonment of the PGA Tour; so of course, I’ve had nothing but disdain for LIV Golf since the beginning, and support none of the players’ efforts to win concessions from the golf world, for their greed. The only change to the LIV Golf format that I would applaud is “cease and desist”. The only concession I would support is then letting them go to the bottom of the list to try to re-qualify for the PGA Tour.
Loughry: Four rounds and larger field size is what LIV needs. They’ve made some changes to their qualifying process, which helps. Time will tell as they say.
Schurman: The World Rankings were established to evaluate a specific style/format of golf. LIV can easily make a case for inclusion when their formats suit the scoring system.
Rule: I actually think it’s getting to the point where they should be getting some points, but the strength of field will be an interesting dilemma, especially since so many of the players on the LIV tour have fallen off the face of the earth when it comes to OWGR. So how do you calculate strength of field in the short term? And I do think they need to have a more traditional tournament format with 72 holes at the very least. Not sure what else needs to change, it will be interesting to see how this unfolds.
Quinn: There is nothing LIV can do. The massive cache of sport washing millions hasn’t worked. It’s all over but the offshore depositing.
Mumford: According to OWGR boss Trevor Immelman, they can assign ranking points to any type or style of tournament. The sticking point seems to be the will to include LIV Golf. OWGR needs to specifically tell LIV what needs to change and then LIV needs to do that. As it stands, every year that goes by without including players like Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau and others, actually lessens the relevance of the OWGR. How can it be a ranking of the best players in the world, when some of them are only judged on four tournaments a year?
