Tin Cup and Happy Gilmore: Golf Outsiders Triumph

Tin Cup and Happy Gilmore both feature hugely flawed lead characters; Roy "Tin Cup" McAvoy in the former and the eponymously Happy Gilmore played by Adam Sandler in the latter. Roy McAvoy is a washed-up golfer of past glory, who's current exhile to a dustbowl golf range in a West Texas town of Salome is brought on by his penchant for self-destructive "Caveman Golf". Happy Gilmore is a never-been hockey player that can't even skate, waiting to discover his hidden monster, longdrive talent suited for competition golf. Both learn to transcend personality defects and accomplish their goals through a realization of lessons taught through golf. In both cases the final result is fame, wealth and a pretty girl.

In structure, both follow the classic definition of a comedy, characters of the low struggling through adversity, culminating in a symbolic marriage where both of our characters pair with their respective romantic interests. But herein is the interesting bent of these two stories when compared against the classic tragedy format of golf stories, such as the true life story of Bobby Jones, man of high stature faces adversity, falls but ultimately triumphs to redeem himself and his legacy for posterity. Golf in the imagination of the American public has always been associated with privilege, upper class access and forbidding cost unaffordable for the common man. In these two movies under discussion here, however, depicts how two lowly characters of no particularly distinctive birth triumphs over these barriers of class and privilege.

I argue that these movies were produced are in no small part related to the emergence of Tiger Woods as the consummate outsider become ultimate insider. This multi-racial man from Southern California, born of a career military man and an immigrant from Thailand, not only has gained acceptance in a previously almost exclusively white milieu, but he has become the milieu. It is Tiger that is the golf industry and with his fortunes are so tied the fortunes of the multi-billion dollar industry that it could be argued that his recent lack of dominance is contributing to the decline of golf related revenues in this country. The presence of Tiger enables the public imagination to believe in stories depicted in Tin Cup and Happy Gilmore. Tiger gives permission to the suspension of belief necessary to enjoy these two golf movies.

Kevin Na -- Perception, Nationality, and Citizenship on the PGA Tour

Kevin Na has been really tearing it up as the youngest golfer on the PGA. Following his effort at the FBR Open where he finished second to a flawless Phil Mickelson, he's placed second after a thrilling playoff against Mark Calcavecchia and Geoff Ogilvy at the Tucscon Chrysler Classic.

One would imagine that such success would warrant some accuracy in reporting the biographical details of this outstanding young golfer, but apparently not. Kevin is of Korean descent, but raised since age eight in the United States and is a naturalized US citizen http://news.hawaii.com/article/2004/Jan/18/sp/sp02a.html . He should be referred to either as Asian American, Korean American, or of Korean descent, but usually he's given the shorthand of "Korean Golfer". Maybe it's the goofy Elord hat he wears (do Koreans really wear this stuff, I thought it was all Gucci, Prada, etc.).

Some articles even compliment him on his English skills http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/index.php?page=golf&story_id=022605c1_corky&page_number=1 , this of course is the classic backhanded compliment that immediately places the subject of the phrase as the other or marginalized participant in American life.

Like they say, if I had a dime for every time I've been complimented on my English . . . Well hopefully Kevin will continue on his trajectory of terrific performance and this will force professional journalists to be more accurate in describing his citizenship and participation in American life. Perhaps Kevin can commiserate with Tiger Woods, who has issues with how his heritage has been presented in the press and in the general public.

It'd be tragic if he was excluded from a future Ryder Cup team just because some culturally misinformed person makes the mistake of believing Kevin to be a Korean citizen. He's got to be nervous enough that he might get nabbed by the notorious Korean military, which loves to surprise unsuspecting Korean Americans with draft inductions at the airport. Often with a dramatic arrest right before the unsuspecting victim boards his plane.