The chaos surrounding Scottie Scheffler‘s early-morning arrest outside Valhalla Golf Club near Louisville, Kentucky before the PGA Championship‘s second round reminded some golf fans of the mayhem in Happy Gilmore, the 1996 golf comedy starring Adam Sandler. Coincidentally, Netflix had announced a sequel to the hit movie days earlier.
In a press release, Netflix said Sandler would return as the titular character for the sequel: “It’s currently unclear how the film will resurrect Gilmore’s golf career, but one thing’s for sure: In the real world, at least, Happy Gilmore is a legend.” There’s still no word on when production might begin or when Happy Gilmore 2 should be expected.
Could Scheffler’s arrest be “HG2” publicity?
As news spread of Scheffler’s arrest in Kentucky, jokes sparked on X about the timing of the Happy Gilmore sequel announcement. In the past, actor Christopher McDonald, who played the villain Shooter McGavin in the first Gilmore movie, has been arrested several times for DUI, according to Golf Digest. That fact was not lost on X. (It’s unknown if McDonald will reprise the role in the sequel).
Elsewhere, others commented on plot similarities.
Scheffler’s altercation with a cop also reminded some of the character Happy Gilmore’s anger management issues.
Why was Scottie Scheffler arrested?
Gilmore aside, Scheffler was arrested on Friday, May 17 after he tried to drive over a median, around a police barricade. Police stopped traffic when a pedestrian was struck and killed in a traffic accident near the golf course. Scheffler seemed to ignore police commands, and one officer grabbed onto Scheffler’s vehicle as it accelerated and received minor injuries.
Scheffler later called the incident a misunderstanding, and his lawyer said Scheffler was unaware there had been an accident and that Scheffler thought he was following standard procedure. Scheffler was released without bail and teed off at Valhalla at around 10am for the PGA Championship’s second round.