Happy Gilmore 2 includes several real-life golfers despite leaving out a few big ones, one of whom was Adam Sandler’s dream inclusion. Happy Gilmore 2‘s cast is absolutely massive compared to the original movie. A big reason for this was the sheer abundance of Happy Gilmore 2‘s cameos, ranging from Adam Sandler’s usual suspects to musicians and sports stars.
By the time of Happy Gilmore 2‘s ending, the film wraps up this cameo-infested story fairly neatly, with the titular golfer saving the sport from needless innovation. Happy manages to succeed at this thanks to the help of several real-life golfers who portray themselves in Happy Gilmore 2. Some of Happy Gilmore 2‘s funniest scenes come from this.
Seeing real-life golfers wrapped up in the wacky world of an Adam Sandler comedy brings some of the film’s biggest laughs, with many references linking to other athletes. Interestingly, some major golf stars from the world today were not included in Happy Gilmore 2, despite the wealth of cameos. Here are some of the biggest that were missing, including Adam Sandler’s dream Happy Gilmore 2 role.
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Sepp Straka
The World Number 10
When looking at the PGA rankings for world golfers, several of them make appearances in Happy Gilmore 2, yet Sepp Straka is not one of them. Straka ranks 10th in the PGA’s world rankings, making him a seemingly easy pick for an appearance in Happy Gilmore 2. However, Straka does not play a part.
Straka’s most recent major win came in 2025’s Truist Championship, beating out Justin Thomas, who did play a part in Happy Gilmore 2. Nonetheless, Straka was not one of the many golfers enlisted for Happy Gilmore 2‘s cameo-fest story.
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J.J. Spaun
The World Number 9
Coming in at the spot above Sepp Straka in the PGA world rankings is J.J. Spaun. Unlike Straka, Spaun is a golfer from the United States, making him even more likely for an appearance in Happy Gilmore 2. After all, Sandler’s target audience for the film was largely domestic, explaining the inclusion of several American-born golfers or those with big followers in the US.
Spaun likely could not take time out of his busy schedule to appear as one of the film’s cameos…
Spaun is one such golfer. As alluded to, Spaun ranks 9th in the PGA’s world rankings, most recently winning a major championship in the form of the U.S. Open in June 2025. Spaun beat several of the biggest golfers in the world, some of whom appear in Happy Gilmore 2. Despite that, Spaun was not part of the film.
As with Straka, the reason for this was likely due to scheduling. Filming on the sequel took place between September and December 2024. With major golf tournaments taking place all year round, Spaun likely could not take time out of his busy schedule to appear as one of the film’s cameos.
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Harris English
The World Number 8
Another of the United States’ best golfers, according to the PGA rankings, is Harris English. English came second in a major championship in 2025, The Open, with only world #1 Scottie Scheffler beating him. English was also tied second at the 2025 PGA Championship, proving his status as one of the world’s most talented golfers.
Like the two aforementioned players, though, English did not play a role in Happy Gilmore 2. The film has been criticized by some for being unfocused, with the abundance of cameos and two different subplots somewhat clashing. It is likely the case that Happy Gilmore 2 simply could not fit any more characters in, even if they were real golfers.
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The final act of Happy Gilmore 2 features the titular hero teaming up with several of these real golfers. If any more had been included, like Harris English, the film would have probably included too many characters for its own good.
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Russell Henley
The World Number 5
The 5th best-ranked golfer in the world currently is Russell Henley. Interestingly, Russell Henley is the only golfer in the top seven worldwide positions not to appear in Happy Gilmore 2. The world #1, Scottie Scheffler, appears, as do the second and third ranked players, Rory McIlroy and Xander Schauffele. Justin Thomas comes in fourth, who also has a role in Happy Gilmore 2.
Then there is Russell Henley, who most recently won the Arnold Palmer Invitational in March 2025. Henley did not appear in Happy Gilmore 2, likely for similar reasons outlined for the likes of Harris English and J.J. Spaun. Still, the fact that Henley is the highest-ranked world golfer not to appear makes his absence more interesting.
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Phil Mickelson
The Former World Runner-Up
In terms of sheer fame, Phil Mickelson is perhaps one of the best-known American golfers of all time. The reason for this is Mickelson’s longevity in the game, having most recently won a PGA Championship in 2021 at the age of 50. This was Mickelson’s 45th win at a major PGA event, with this longevity seeing him among golf’s highest world rankings for decades.
Mickelson was listed as the second-best golfer in the world for over 270 weeks in the official world rankings, often behind only Tiger Woods. In 2018, Mickelson’s ranking in the top 50 golfers saw him achieve 25 straight years of this accolade. Evidently, Mickelson is one of the longest-lasting success stories in American golf.
For this reason, it is surprising that he did not appear in Happy Gilmore 2. As an incredibly well-known golfer, especially domestically, and someone who does not play as often as the aforementioned athletes as of 2025, Mickelson seemed like an easy lay-up for a Happy Gilmore 2 cameo. Sadly, this did not come to fruition.
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Tiger Woods
One Of The Greatest Golfers Of All Time
When it comes to the most famous golfers in history, though, Tiger Woods has to be top of the list. Tiger Woods’ career accolades speak for themselves, with the golfer tied first for the most PGA Tour wins at a remarkable 82. Woods has also broken records regarding his world golf ranking.
Woods spent the most consecutive weeks ranked as the world number one with 281, with his 683 weeks at the top of the rankings across his entire career also being the most in history. All of this just proves how big Tiger Woods’ legacy truly is, explaining why, despite not appearing in the film, he was Adam Sandler’s dream cameo for Happy Gilmore 2.
In an interview on the Dan Patrick Show in 2024 (via The Direct), Sandler was asked whether Tiger Woods would be in Happy Gilmore 2. Sandler replied:
“I would love it. We’ll see. I’m gonna write all my dreams and then you never know what’s gonna happen.”
Unfortunately, for Sandler as much as audiences, it would seem, the actor could not manage to get Woods to appear in the film. However, that did not stop Happy Gilmore 2 from referencing the iconic golfer several times.
The first reference comes when Happy, via narration, tells the audience that he received a video game in the vein of Tiger Woods. Later, when Happy goes back to the U.S. Bank Tour Championship, statues of five-time winners appear, of which Tiger Woods is one. Happy also has a statue here, too, making it an in-universe fact that Gilmore and Woods played alongside one another.
Finally, the last reference comes in the final act of the movie. When Shooter McGavin, one of the highlights of the first Happy Gilmore, is being given a pep-talk by Happy, he states that he is the best golfer of the 90s, “except for me and Tiger.”
The multitude of references to Tiger Woods in Happy Gilmore 2 just goes to show how much Sandler wanted to include him in the movie. The reasons why Woods does not appear are unknown, but it was likely a mix of scheduling and Tiger’s recent inactivity due to injuries. Regardless, if he had been included, it is clear that Woods would have played a big role in the 2025 sequel.
