'Happy Gilmore 2' swings big on laughs, legacy and legendary cameos - ESPN

Since Happy Gilmore hit the big screen in 1996 with his wild swing and short temper, a sequel seemed to be buried in the rough.

But Adam Sandler's reluctance for a sequel didn't deter Christopher McDonald — the actor who plays uber popular villain Shooter McGavin. McDonald has kept his character's persona alive on X with a bio that reads: «Former #1 golfer in the world and an all-around bad guy.»

«I've been campaigning for about 29 years to get this thing done,» he told ESPN.

But the star comedian wouldn't budge.

«For 28 years, I was like, 'What are you talking about? No,'» Sandler recentlytold «Good Morning America.» «And then all of a sudden I was like, 'Maybe.'»

«He says, 'I don't do sequels,' then he starts doing like 'Grown Up 2' and I went, 'Ahem.' Let's readdress this,» McDonald said. «It's got so much life left in it.»

Finally, Shooter's swings found the green.

Over 10,500 days since the original, «Happy Gilmore 2» was released on Netflix on Friday, full of star cameos and all the feels of the first film. This time, Bad Bunny joins the cast as Happy's new caddie, while Gilmore tees off alongside golf stars such as two-time Masters champion Scottie Scheffler and two-time PGA Championship winner Justin Thomas.

Putts are made. Caddies are strangled. Happy places are once again tapped into.

«It's brought a lot of laughs and joy to people over the years. That's the blessing of a film like this. And I don't think, like I say, any of us expected it. It just happened that way,» McDonald said. «And over the moon to be happy making a sequel when people love the movie so much. And I think we stayed true to the first one.»

Director Kyle Newacheck was 12 years old when the original film was released and was «very, very