Real-Life Happy Gilmore Hears From Adam Sandler

For the record, his given name is Landon Gilmore. But the teenage Indiana golfer has been going by "Happy Gilmore" since he was a little kid because he can hit the ball like the fictional player of that name in Adam Sandler's 1996 movie, per the Indianapolis Star. Now, the two have connected in real life. After Gilmore announced his commitment to golf for Ball State University, Sandler took note on Twitter. "Go get em Happy," Sandler wrote. "Pulling for you." Replied Gilmore: "my life is complete."

Gilmore is indeed "really good at golf," per a profile at Golf.com, and, yes, he enters tournaments under the moniker of Happy Gilmore. One key difference between reality and art: Gilmore doesn't play hockey and can't even skate. He has, however, mastered the unique hockey-style tee shot used by Sandler in the movie. "It never fails," he says of fellow junior circuit players. "Every tournament, every round, someone's, like, can you do the Happy Gilmore?" (More Adam Sandler stories.)