MUNCIE, Ind. — An Indiana high school golfer named Happy Gilmore just signed his letter of intent to play golf for the Ball State University men's golf team for the 2024 season.
Gilmore, named Landon James Gilmore at birth, is a senior at Bloomington South High School and one of the state's top golfing prospects.
According to Ball State, he got the nickname when he won a long drive competition at the Pepsi Little People's Golf tournament around the age of nine years old, and it's stuck ever since.
"The excitement and energy around Happy joining our program is evident," said Ball State golf coach Mike Fleck. "We are not only getting an elite junior player, but we are adding a great young man to the mix. He has positioned himself as one of the best and most recognizable junior golfers in the country, and has a tournament tested resume of success both in Indiana and nationally. Ball State golf is excited to welcome Happy Gilmore to our family!"
Gilmore is a three-time all-state player who finished seventh in the IHSAA State Finals as a sophomore and eighth the following year as a junior.
He hopes to lead his team to its fourth consecutive state finals this upcoming spring.
The name is widely recognized from the movie "Happy Gilmore" in 1996 that follows a failed hockey player who joins a golf tournament to save his grandma's house. He becomes an unlikely golf hero with his powerful driving skills and foulmouthed attitude.
