Is this the proof that Rory McIlroy is going to be in Happy Gilmore 2?

Rory McIlroy, pictured doing a Happy Gilmore putting challenge with Jimmy Fallon, could appear in Happy Gilmore 2, where Adam Sandler will reprise his role.

Filming is underway for the long-awaited Happy Gilmore sequel with Adam Sandler bringing his cult golf star back to the screen almost 30 years after he beat Shooter McGavin to win the Tour Championship.

Rumours about the sequel began swirling in March when Christopher McDonald, who played Gilmore’s antagonist McGavin revealed that Sandler had written a script for the follow up.

“I saw Adam [Sandler] about two weeks ago, and he says to me, ‘McDonald, you’re gonna love this,’” McDonald said. “I said, ‘What?’ He says, ‘How about that?’ and he shows me the first draft of Happy Gilmore 2.”

Sandler confirmed the news in an interview days later, saying: “We’ve been jamming, we have a million ideas already. We’ve just got to make it a movie and make sure we’re excited about people enjoying it. It’s important. We love Happy Gilmore, we don’t want to let anybody down.”

If you’re hoping to see the follow-up at your local cinema then think again. The film will be on Netflix, with whom Sandler has a very lucrative partnership to create eight movies. The streaming giant made the American one of the highest-paid actors in the world and has commissioned the return of one of his most enduring characters.

Shooting began in New Jersey in September and Sandler posted an image of his character’s famous hockey shirt on his social media alongside the caption “It ain’t over. The way I see it… we’ve only just begun” to mark the occasion and spark excitement among fans.

Full details of the cast have been kept well under wraps, but besides Sandler returning in the lead role, we know McDonald will reprise his role as McGavin and Julie Bowen, of Modern Family fame, will be back as Gilmore’s love interest Virginia Venit.

Original Happy Gilmore co-writer Tim Herlihy will assist in writing the new film, while director Dennis Dugan will again serve as executive producer, and original producers Jack Giarraputo and Robert Simonds return.

As well as debating which members of the original cast and crew will return, speculation has been rife over who willmake cameo appearances in the sequel. Golf legend Lee Trevino, James Bond actor Richard Kiel, Price is Right host Bob Barker, and sports broadcaster Verne Lundquist were among those who appeared in the original, with the likes of Tiger Woods, Travis Kelce, Scottie Scheffler, and LeBron James among those suggested for the new film.

Sandler has confirmed that NFL star Kelce, the boyfriend of pop star Taylor Swift, will appear. “We have a nice something for Travis. He’s gonna come by,” Sandler told Jimmy Fallon. “He’s a very nice guy. You guys would love him in real life. What a big, handsome guy. Funny and cool as hell. He’s a stud and he’s so funny.”

Another name that has been repeatedly linked is Rory McIlroy, with the four-time Major champion and current World No.3 a known fan of the original film and one of the biggest draws in golf.

In 2021, 25 years after Gilmore overcame McGavin’s four-shot lead on the back nine to lift the title, McIlroy presented his fellow Tour Championship winner with a commemorative inscription at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta. He was also filmed trying the famous Happy Gilmore swing with his fellow TaylorMade staff pros.

And now it appears the speculation could become reality, with the 35-year-old’s manager, Sean O’Flaherty, heard discussing the film during last week’s BMW PGA Championship.

Speaking at Wentworth, O’Flaherty ruled his client out of attending an event, saying: “He can’t because it clashes with the Happy Gilmore shooting.”

After a year of near misses, let’s hope Sandler and co give McIlroy a happier on-screen ending.

Netflix will be hoping the new film proves even more successful than the first, which grossed $40m worldwide – a drop in the ocean compared to the money McIlroy has won on the course. With golf attracting plenty of headlines and new eyeballs in recent years, it seems likely there will be an even bigger audience.

Alongside Caddyshack and Tin Cup, Happy Gilmore is widely regarded as one of the best golf films ever made. Netflix and Sandler will be hoping that Happy Gilmore 2 proves far more successful than Caddyshack 2. The 1988 follow-up to the 1980 Bill Murray and Chevy Chase classic scores just 4% on Rotten Tomatoes!

About the Author

Rob Jerram – Digital Editor

Rob specializes in the DP World Tour, PGA Tour, LIV Golf, and the Ryder Cup, spending large chunks of his days reading about, writing about, and watching the tours each month.

He’s passionate about the equipment used by professional golfers and is also a font of knowledge when it comes to golf balls, golf trolleys, and golf bags, testing thousands down the years.

Rob uses a Callaway Paradym driver, TaylorMade M5 5-wood, TaylorMade P790 driving iron, Callaway Paradym irons (4-AW), TaylorMade MG3 wedges (52º, 58º), Odyssey Tri-Hot 5k Double Wide putter, and Callaway Chrome Soft X golf ball.

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