Without question, Shooter McGavin is the best villain to ever appear in a sports movie. Portrayed by esteemed character actor Christopher McDonald, McGavin is the arch nemesis to Happy Gilmore, the titular character in the golf-centric 1996 comedy film. Known for his arrogance, archaic view of golf, and a collection of great one-liners, McGavin is a blast to watch in Happy Gilmore. And to commemorate one of the most iconic villains in sports film history, PGA Tour 2K25 has included him as part of the game ahead of the release of Happy Gilmore 2.
Well, sort of.
How To Play As Shooter McGavin In PGA Tour 2K25
So, first things first — Shooter McGavin isn’t in PGA Tour 2K25 per se. Because McGavin is a fictional character in an IP currently owned by Netflix, licensing such a character to have in the game would’ve likely cost 2K a pretty penny, especially with Happy Gilmore 2 set for release soon, in which McGavin will be part of. Instead, Christopher McDonald — the actor who portrays McGavin in the films — is featured as part of PGA Tour 2K25.
So how do you unlock Christopher McDonald and re-create that excellent 18th green putt he made during the Waterbury Open? Unfortunately, as of right now, McDonald is only available to players who preordered PGA Tour 2K25. So unless he is added as an unlockable later down the line, players who didn’t preorder PGA Tour 2K25 and instead waited until after its official launch to purchase the game are out of luck.
In the case that you did preorder PGA Tour 2K25, you will be able to play as McDonald in Quick Play mode. Upon firing up the game, select the Choose Golfer option. This will allow you to pick from the various golfers that are in the game. Eventually, you should see Christopher McDonald.
By default, McDonald is an 82 OVR. While he’s average when it comes to aspects such as driving or putting, the iconic character actor is shown to be exceptional when it comes to Transition and Recovery, meaning he is good when it comes to the fundamentals and can easily correct course if he ends up in the rough. Essentially, he is like how Shooter is portrayed in Happy Gilmore: A very talented golfer who unfortunately falls short against the cream of the crop and has yet to win the Pro Tour.
Hopefully, Christopher McDonald will eventually be released to the general public and not be locked behind a preorder bonus.
