PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – Lee Trevino has six major championships and a spot in the World Golf Hall of Fame. He won The Players in 1980 when it was at the neighboring Sawgrass Country Club. Most of Trevino’s success came in the 1970s and ‘80s (his last major was the PGA in 1984) so more casual golf fans probably don’t know the depth of Trevino’s success.
But there’s a good chance they do know Trevino from his cameos in the wildly popular “Happy Gilmore” movie. Trevino had small roles in the 1996 hit film, mentioning the line “Grizzly Adams did have a beard,” and popping up and shaking his head in several funny scenes.
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Trevino said his manager approached him about a bit part in that movie, and they shot his segments quickly, mainly in parking lots in Jupiter Island.
“I did the four cameos in about 20 minutes, and I got my money, and I still get residuals [payments] today,” Trevino said.
Trevino said he had no idea about the movie when he was approached about it 30 years ago, but “Happy Gilmore 2,” set for release this summer, was a blast to participate in. Trevino said his scene in this movie is set in a TPC banquet awards setting, and it took two days for filming this time.
“We had a fantastic time. I was sitting next to Adam [Sandler], he was to my right. [Jack] Nicklaus was here, and Freddie Couples and [Nick] Faldo on the one table and then we had Corey Pavin and [Xander] Schauffele was over at another table,” Trevino said. “And then the tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs [Travis Kelce], he was a waiter and … we got the cheering or something and he chest bumped Schaufele and knocked him over the table. It was hilarious.”
Monday’s playoff
Fans planning on attending Monday morning’s three-hole playoff between Rory McIlroy and J.J. Spaun at 9 a.m. can use their ticket from Sunday to get into the tournament.
Free parking will be available in the general lot off County Road 210 (5360 Palm Valley Road). Fans must present a valid Sunday ticket to gain access to the lot. Gates and parking open at 8 a.m.
Fan shop goes nonstop
One of the more popular attractions at TPC Sawgrass was the robust fan shop, which is roughly a wedge shot away from the No. 17 tee box. News4JAX spent a little bit of time in the shop on Monday when it was closed, and employees were putting the finishing touches on it before the chaos of the week. An employee told News4JAX that the fully stocked store wouldn’t look nearly as full by the weekend.
By Sunday morning, dozens and dozens of items had sold out. Most of the limited-edition products made for this year’s Players, including things from local company LaFavre, were picked clean. The front right section of the store, packed with displays earlier in the week, had been turned into storage for empty racks.
Jags sightings
New Jaguars head coach Liam Coen and general manager James Gladstone took in The Players during Saturday’s third round and got a chance to take in play from both the box on No. 17 and in the gallery. Executive vice president of football operations Tony Boselli was out at TPC Sawgrass in the third round. All three had a busy front half of the week as free agency opened and the team signed nine players.
On Thursday, receiver Brian Thomas Jr. attended his first Players and read a book to children in the Nemours Kids Zone. Kicker Cam Little and long snapper Ross Matiscik and quarterback Trevor Lawrence were all out on the course Friday. Little had a hole-in-one on the replica of the No. 17 hole, sinking the 35-yard shot.
Lengthy streaks of coverage
More than 300 media members covered The Players Championship, but none have covered it as long as the Florida Times-Union’s Garry Smits. The longtime area sports writer celebrated his 40th time covering the event. Smits has covered all but 11 of the tournaments. Among other journalists who have covered a comparable number of Players as Smits:
- John Hopkins, Global Golf Post: 38
- Kathy Bissell, Ponte Vedra Recorder: 35
- Gene Frenette, Florida Times-Union: 33
- Doug Ferguson, Associated Press: 30
