CARMEL – Happy Gilmore was not especially pleased Tuesday with how he finished his first round of the high school golf state finals.
No, the Bloomington South senior wasn’t about to break a rake and throw it in the woods or tell his ball to go its home. Nothing that drastic. But after briefly tying for the lead at 4-under-par through his first 13 holes, Gilmore posted bogeys on Nos. 14 and 15, then finished with three consecutive pars.
The Ball State recruit posted a 2-under-par 70 and will go into Wednesday’s final round – his final round as a high school golfer – two shots behind Fairfield junior Brayden Miller and tied with Westfield junior Jake Cesare and Zionsville senior Andrew Wall for second place.
First round recap: Fairfield’s Brayden Miller, Zionsville atop leaderboard
“Score wise, it was decent,” Gilmore said. “I’ll take 2-under any day. But how I did it wasn’t what I thought. The greens are fast and sloppy, which we haven’t seen a lot of that for tournaments. But I ended up putting pretty well. I was really confident in my chipping and I missed five greens and didn’t get up and down once before 18. Those were my bogeys. But I made my birdies, so I could have gone pretty low. I can’t be too disappointed in my round, but at the same time it was kind of like, ‘What if?’ If I could have chipped well, I could have been closer to the lead, at least.”
Gilmore, whose given name is Landon, has gained national acclaim in recent years for his name. He told IndyStar in 2022 that people started calling him “Happy” after the 1996 Adam Sandler comedy movie about a hockey player turned long drive golf phenom. He started going by “Happy” all the time by age 13.
Gilmore is more than just a cool name, though. As a freshman, he tied for eighth at the state meet and helped his team to a fourth-place finish. As a sophomore, he tied for 17th for a sixth-place team. And last year, as a junior, he tied for seventh as an individual and his team finished fourth.
On Wednesday, he will tee off at 8:40 a.m. with a chance at a state championship.
“I feel very confident,” Gilmore said. “I love this golf course. It’s in perfect condition. The greens are running very, very smooth and fast. I hit my driver well, but not well enough. I think if I go out there and get lucky and everything clicks, I have a pretty good chance at it.”
Gilmore said there are times when his name can be a bit of a burden. But on those days, he shuts his phone and social media notifications off and “just go practice and be a high schooler.” His goal is to be the best golfer he can be, which on Wednesday could allow him to bring home a state title.
“I really try not to pay too much attention it,” he said. “I’d rather be known for my golf than my nickname. But I still love it. It’s fun.”
Call Star reporter Kyle Neddenriep at (317) 444-6649.