How do you get a two-time major champ to do the Happy Gilmore bull dance? It’s actually pretty easy
U.S. Bank
Collin Morikawa has won two majors and has competed in multiple Ryder Cups, so it’s safe to say that he’s been in some pretty high-pressure situations with millions of dollars on the line. And yet, the World No. 6 admitted to an insane amount of “nerves … and a lot of sweat” when it came to acting in “Happy Gilmore 2” and an accompanying ad for US Bank.
Although athletes often play the straight man, Morikawa goes for broke in the new “Happy As Usual” campaign. He busts out a prop check, tries out the bull dance and even improvises his own "yahoo!" It’s impressive, and apparently he’s a “natural.”
“ He went for it,” said Frank Coraci, one of Adam Sandler’s go-to directors. “And it’s always great when somebody's really into it. In the middle [of filming the U.S. Bank ad], I was like, flip your hat back, and he went for it. Was totally game. I couldn't believe I struck gold with him because I knew when we were shooting, I'm like, oh, this spot's gonna be really funny. Once a pro, always a pro.”
The U.S. Bank ad is a genuine tie-in to the movie as they’re the title sponsor for the fictional Tour Championship golf tournament. And with Morikawa’s long-time partnership with the brand (and his love for the 1996 golf classic), it only made sense for him to star in this 30-second spot. The one problem was psyching himself up to replicate Sandler’s energetic style on screen.
“ For golfers, we're so used to our environment,” Morikawa admitted. “Even if there are thousands of people watching us, cameras, whatever, we know what we're gonna do in the moment. We’re going to hit that golf ball … most likely.
“But in this setting, where actors are ad-libbing and throwing in random things here and there, it takes some getting used to. My mind does not work like that. I leave it to these pros. And you just kind of follow and hopefully do a decent job.”
Jamie McCarthy
It’s not just Morikawa, as seemingly every pro golfer who has ever picked up a club is making a cameo in the much-anticipated sequel. It’s a movie that has transcended generations and helped Morikawa’s non-golf friends could understand a bit more about the game.
“It was kind of a gap that bridged my friends who didn't play golf," Morikawa said. “And to me, it's like they didn't understand that I went out and traveled the country to go play golf tournaments, but they understood if I could hit a Happy Gilmore swing. You’re either good at it or you’re not.”
There’s no way that young Morikawa could know that he would be walking the green carpet for the sequel’s premiere, along with his wife Kat Zhu and plenty of other major champs. But when opportunity rang, he jumped at the chance. In case you haven't seen the deluge of promotion, the movie drops on Netflix for the rest of us plebians on Friday.
Fortunately (or unfortunately), Morikawa didn’t show off his version of the bull dance at the premiere. Probably for the best. Leave that to the actors. But if you do really want to see it, it’ll be in the aforementioned U.S. Bank ad for the rest of time.
