This can be a story a few film that saved a sport. OK, that’s a stretch, however solely somewhat one.
Scottie Scheffler is the No. 1 golfer on the earth. Has been for a few years. He has received two Masters titles, one PGA Championship and the current British Open, in addition to an Olympic gold medal. He’s so good that any individual must examine his golf balls for tiny magnets that hook as much as the cups on the greens. Thus far this yr, by slapping somewhat white dimpled ball round within the grass, he has received $19.2 million. He has but to show 30, however his general earnings, simply from golf tournaments, is round $90 million.
This man is so good that his caddie, Ted Scott, is estimated, on the regular 10% of winnings, to have pocketed about $5 million. For carrying a bag.
So, what’s the issue?
Scheffler is so good that he may additionally be sparking a pattern referred to as distant regret. You actually need to watch, however as soon as he will get forward by a few photographs, there’s nothing left. No drama, no attainable twist and switch, no probability of any pleasure. Different gamers in these tense, title-on-the-line remaining holes, dunk a shot into the water or bury one so deep within the sand that their solely alternative of membership is a shovel.
Not Scheffler. He’s a 6-foot-3 human robotic whose veins flow into ice water. When the going will get powerful, Scheffler yawns.
Scottie Scheffler, proper, and spouse Meredith Scudder attend the premiere of Netflix’s “Happy Gilmore 2” on July 21 in New York.
(Evan Agostini / Evan Agostini/invision/ap)
So, you see this and you understand what’s coming subsequent — remaining putt, arms raised in satisfaction, a hug for his multi-millionaire caddie, the obligatory TV interview with the apparently obligatory British-accent feminine sportscaster, who will at all times begin with, “How does this feel?”
You, and hundreds of thousands extra, click on the button in your distant for one thing extra attention-grabbing, like HGTV or the Gardening Channel. When Scheffler will get forward within the remaining spherical like that — which is sort of at all times — it’s recreation over. He can squeeze the drama out of a golf event like Invoice Belichick might out of an NFL postgame interview.
Definitely, you say, Tiger Woods used to win plenty of tournaments by plenty of huge margins and that by no means appeared boring.
That’s as a result of it wasn’t. Tiger was animated, offended, irritated, analytical, fed up with some a part of his recreation, charged up over one other half, mad at a reporter, upset along with his agent. Tiger might win by eight, often did, and it was nonetheless must-see TV. When Tiger was at his greatest, no person might beat him and the general public cherished him and simply needed extra. Scheffler is at present at his greatest and the general public actually is extremely impressed and, sadly, type of meh. Tiger was a pound-on-the-table-and-shout-at-the-TV type of participant. Scheffler is a nod and a shrug.
However there’s hope. Hollywood has intervened, as solely Hollywood can.
Twenty-nine years in the past, an up-and-coming comedian named Adam Sandler made a film impressed by certainly one of his New England mates, who was an awesome hockey participant and will additionally hit a golf ball an extended distance with a hockey stick. Sandler referred to as the film “Happy Gilmore” and located a large viewers that cherished it for its irreverence a few recreation that flaunts hushed reverence.
Among the many highlights was an on-course fistfight between Joyful Gilmore (Sandler) and growing older TV recreation present host Bob Barker. Barker received by KO.
The film was hilariously overdone slapstick. It was a gut-laugh-a-minute. It was so silly and wacky that it was fantastic.
Now, Sandler has made “Happy Gilmore 2,” and it’s once more a must-see for all the explanations that the unique was. Plus the cameo appearances. Particularly one by Scheffler.
Within the film, Scheffler is nice, humorous, enjoyable. He doesn’t have quite a lot of traces, however he has excellent timing. He punches a man out on the inexperienced and the cops come and haul him away. “Oh, no. Not again,” he says.
Bear in mind, earlier this yr, when Louisville cops hauled him away and put him in an orange jail go well with, when he was accused of constructing a mistaken flip whereas driving into the golf course on the PGA Championship, a event that he would finally win? Nicely, Sandler and his writers made hay out of that, however extra considerably, Scheffler performed to it completely.
After the film punch-out, Scheffler is pictured in a jail cell, in an orange jail go well with, as a guard asks, since he has been in that cell for 3 days, if he needs to get out. Scheffler replies, “Ah, what’s for dinner?” When he’s instructed rooster fingers, he says, “I think I’ll stay another night.”
Now, in fact, none of that’s knee-slapping stuff, however it’s Scheffler, and the self-effacing comedy is an ideal image-enhancer, even when it is just in a silly film. It’s so significantly better for golf followers to see Scheffler as a roll-with-the-punches enjoyable man, than an impassive, ball-striking robotic. Neither is completely correct, however on this media world of image-is-everything, “Happy Gilmore 2” has accomplished fantastic issues for this excellent golfer. Even moreso, for his sport
He might be throughout your TV screens for the three-week FedEx playoffs. It begins Aug. 7 with a event in Memphis, adopted by the subsequent week in Baltimore and the grand finale Aug. 21 in East Lake, Ga., close to Atlanta. For the playoffs, the PGA will distribute $100 million in prize cash and the winner will obtain $10 million.
Scheffler, a possible winner, would then actually be invited to look on TV, particularly the late-night reveals comparable to Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Fallon. This may current one other nice image-building alternative. He might present up in an orange leap go well with.
