New Hampshire’s Adam Sandler Congratulates Real-Life Golfer Named Happy Gilmore

With more children being named after iconic athletes such as “Brady” and “Kobe,” it was just a matter of time before we met a real-life sports prodigy named “Happy.” Did we expect his last name to be “Gilmore”? Maybe not but, here we are.

That’s right, real-life golf phenom Happy Gilmore recently committed to play for Indiana’s Ball State University, alma mater of future Boston University prankster David Letterman. The young Gilmore even received a congratulations from the actor who first made the name famous, New Hampshire native and Mark Twain Prize Recipient Adam Sandler.

The real-life Gilmore has also collected a number of awards, including National Hurricane Player of the Year and back-to-back inclusions on the Indiana All-State golf team. Gilmore hails from Bloomington, Indiana, where he also attends high school.

Gilmore’s actual first name is Landon, but the “Happy” moniker apparently stuck as he excelled on the links, according to CNN. Still no word on any Bobby Bouchers or Hubie Halloweens earning scholarships, but we’ll keep you posted as things go.

Like Sandler’s character, the former-Landon is already thinking big, trying out for the U.S. Open back in April (unfortunately, he finished 16 over par).

In the 1996 film Happy Gilmore, Sandler plays the hockey-obsessed everyman who dons a Bruins jersey while competing on the PGA tour in an attempt to raise enough money to win back his grandmother’s home. It marked Sandler’s second starring role after the monster hit Billy Madison.

It was the first of several classic, sports-themed featuring Sandler.