Happy Gilmore is going to college.
Landon Gilmore — a golfer and senior at Bloomington South High— announced his commitment via social media.
Although his name is Landon, Gilmore adopted the nickname of Adam Sandler’s character in the 1996 comedy “Happy Gilmore,” when he was just 9 years old after winning a long-drive contest at the Pepsi Little People’s Tournament in Quincy, Illinois, explained NBC Golf.
In a June 23 tweet, Gilmore wrote, “I am very excited to announce that I have committed to continue my academic and golf career at Ball State University. I am very grateful for the opportunity Coach Fleck has given me! I would like to thank my family, my friends and coaches who push me everyday!”
The tweet has over 13.6 million views and 879 retweets — including a congratulations from the “real” Happy Gilmore himslef, Adam Sandler, who retweeted him and added, “Go get em Happy. Pulling for you.”
“When I saw that Adam Sandler retweeted my tweet, my little heart kind of fell apart there,” Gilmore said. “I was speechless and didn’t really know what to do with myself for a minute.”
After gathering himself, he responded “my life is complete.”
Having a name like Happy Gilmore can bring some pressure. While some might be intimidated by using such a name, Gilmore wasn’t feeling the heat at all.
“I don’t think it adds any pressure to me,” Gilmore explained. “But I do know that whatever I do is going to be seen. Especially as far as leaderboards when people are scrolling down and see ‘Happy Gilmore’ they are going to look at it, obviously. So I do know that, but I don’t let it get in my head or that I have to play good because of it. I just go out and do my thing.”
