The year is 2022, and Will Zalatoris has done something magical. Contending against Tour pros like Sepp Straka and Brian Harman, among others, Zalatoris clinched his first PGA Tour win at the 2022 FedEx St. Jude Championship. The first-time Tour winner received many hearty congratulations; however, a particular one stood out the most. And it came from the Hollywood actor, Adam Sandler, who said, “Congrats Will! I’m happy for you! Happy’s happy for you! Enjoy it all!” But how did Will Zalatoris return that acknowledgment?
Well, by making fun of Adam Sandler, for one thing. First, here’s the context: the sequel to the comedic genius, Happy Gilmore, will be out on July 25. But this time, Happy Gilmore 2 will feature pros like Justin Thomas, Bryson DeChambeau, and Will Zalatoris, among others. But a star-studded cast also means great storylines. And Will Zalatoris has exactly that to offer.
During a recent interview with Skratch, Zalatoris shared a funny moment between Justin Thomas, Adam Sandler, and himself during the filming. As per the story, Sandler was playing around a tee box where a nearby sign read, “‘Please stay off,’ or something,” when the actor asked the two Tour pros, “Hey boys, like hey, you know, give me a little tip here.” Zalatoris continued, “And so we go over to the corner, and we go to this tee box, and Adam doesn’t put a ball down, but he just takes like this massive practice swing and just takes the biggest crater.”
As per Zalatoris, this crater was “just like a foot and a half long.” And so, Thomas and Zalatoris do one thing that we all would have done in such a situation: laugh at the $440M worth Hollywood star. Zalatoris continues, “JT and I are dying laughing because of this crater. And he’s like, “What? What?” Like, “Why are you laughing at me? Why are you laughing at my swing?” Like, he got so embarrassed because two tour pros were laughing at him.”
Following that, Sandler “takes another one and just takes another massive crater, like right next to it. And so I’m like, “What? Don’t do that.” Like, there’s just so—like, what is—like, so it was just so funny how like he was just so—it was so good.” Hilarious! But this isn’t the first time the duo has cracked up the golf world (and more).
In 2021, for instance, Sandler got the wind that a Masters contender looked like his caddie from the original Happy Gilmore film. Given the golden opportunity to crack the biggest joke possible, the Hollywood actor tweeted a picture of Zalatoris’ wild blonde mane with a side-by-side caddie, and said, “Have fun today young man. Mr. Gilmore is watching you and very proud.” Who would have imagined at that time that the “young man” would have a blast filming with the actor just a few years later?
Will Zalatoris “had a blast [filming]” Happy Gilmore 2
Will Zalatoris has a deep affection for the 1996 golf comedy Happy Gilmore, having watched it countless times, especially as he prepared for his acting debut in the highly anticipated sequel, Happy Gilmore 2. Zalatoris has often been compared to Gilmore’s caddie, a resemblance that has persisted over the years and will culminate in his appearance in the film, as stated earlier.
During the 2025 Valspar Championship, Zalatoris embraced this connection by customizing his caddie’s bib with the phrase “Gilmores Caddie.” After opening with an even-par 71 at Innisbrook Resort’s Copperhead Course, he expressed his excitement about the film, describing the experience as surreal. He said, “I had a good giggle when they asked me what I wanted to put on the back of my caddie bib and I sent it to Adam [Sandler] and he loved it. It was a blast [filming]. So the beauty of it is if you think my acting is terrible, well I’m not an actor, so that’s fine.”
Zalatoris is not alone in this venture; several other professional golfers, including Scottie Scheffler, Justin Thomas, Rory McIlroy, and Keegan Bradley, are also set to appear in the sequel. However, his unique connection to the original film, stemming from his rise in professional golf and the playful comparisons to Gilmore’s caddie, sets him apart.
Reflecting on these comparisons, he said, “So, yeah, I’ve laughed at it. A couple of buddies that I’ve known for a long time have always kind of compared me to that kid too, especially when I had the longer hair when I first came out here. So, yeah, I’m glad – I had to pinch myself when we were filming it; it was pretty cool.”
One of Zalatoris’ favorite lines from the original film is, “Where you going with those clubs, punk?” spoken by Gilmore to his caddie. Let’s hope we get to see this line repeated in the sequel!
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