Ball State University Athletics
2026-27 Men's Golf Roster
Happy Gilmore
- Class:
- Third Year
- Hometown:
- Bloomington, Ind.
- High School:
- Bloomington South
Gilmore begins his third year at Ball State while continuing to make a name for himself in college golf ... both his verbal commitment to Ball State, as well as his letter-of-intent signing drew national and international attention in the golf world, largely due to his famous name, but his game on the links has earned attention on its own merit.
"Happy is a super talented kid and probably one of the better ball strikers on the team," said Ball State coach Mike Fleck. "Happ just needs to embrace the opportunity of being more competitive figuring out how to compete against the fields he's going up against. He certainly has the ability, and has shown signs of that. We just need him to compete a little bit more often and continue to push up the roster."
2025-26 (So.): Completed 10 events and 29 rounds for the Cardinals over the 2025-26 fall and spring seasons ... 74.69 stroke average was the fifth-best on the Ball State roster ... best finish came at the MAC Championships in nearby Zionsville, firing 223 (+10) to finish in 10th place ... low round (68) and best 54-hole score (214, +4) came at the Earl Yestingsmeier Invitational in September ... a week earlier, he shot back-to-back rounds of 70 at the Golfweek Fall Challenge in Pawley's Island, South Carolina, to finish at 217 (+1) which was his best score relative to par ... fourteen rounds in the fall produced a 74.21 stroke average ... best fall finish was 17th (75-75---150, +8) at the Purdue Fall Individual.
2024-25 (Fr.): Gilmore finished his freshman season with a 74.17 stroke average while completing 23 rounds in his first college season ... his best finishes were third- and fourth-place finishes during individual events in September, in which he finished at even par in both ... his best round was a 67 during the Golfweek "Put Me In Coach" Invitational at Delaware Country Club.
HIGH SCHOOL: Gilmore shot 70-79--149 to finish 11th in the IHSAA state finals as a senior ... prior to arriving at Ball State, he participated in U.S. Open qualifying and the prestigious Southeastern Amateur, playing with new Ball State teammates in each event ... the four-time all-state player finished seventh in the IHSAA finals as a sophomore and eighth as a junior while leading the Panthers to fourth-, sixth-, fourth and eighth-place team finishes, respectively, during his prep career ... in junior golf competitions prior to signing at Ball State, highlights include qualifying for the 2023 United States Junior Amateur Championship by shooting 66 at Delaware Country Club in the local qualifier ... finished as runner-up in Fall 2023 in the Indiana Golf Hoosier Junior Championship (73-70 -143) and finished fourth in an elite international field of players at the Golfweek International Junior Invitational in Orlando, Florida (73-69 - 142).
PERSONAL: Parents are Kim Ellett and Terry Gilmore ... known in the junior golf circles as Happy Gilmore, he was born Landon James Gilmore and the nickname of "Happy" arrived when he won a long drive competition at the Pepsi Little People's Golf Tournament around the age of 9. A spectator called him "Happy," and it stuck.
"Happy is a super talented kid and probably one of the better ball strikers on the team," said Ball State coach Mike Fleck. "Happ just needs to embrace the opportunity of being more competitive figuring out how to compete against the fields he's going up against. He certainly has the ability, and has shown signs of that. We just need him to compete a little bit more often and continue to push up the roster."
2025-26 (So.): Completed 10 events and 29 rounds for the Cardinals over the 2025-26 fall and spring seasons ... 74.69 stroke average was the fifth-best on the Ball State roster ... best finish came at the MAC Championships in nearby Zionsville, firing 223 (+10) to finish in 10th place ... low round (68) and best 54-hole score (214, +4) came at the Earl Yestingsmeier Invitational in September ... a week earlier, he shot back-to-back rounds of 70 at the Golfweek Fall Challenge in Pawley's Island, South Carolina, to finish at 217 (+1) which was his best score relative to par ... fourteen rounds in the fall produced a 74.21 stroke average ... best fall finish was 17th (75-75---150, +8) at the Purdue Fall Individual.
2024-25 (Fr.): Gilmore finished his freshman season with a 74.17 stroke average while completing 23 rounds in his first college season ... his best finishes were third- and fourth-place finishes during individual events in September, in which he finished at even par in both ... his best round was a 67 during the Golfweek "Put Me In Coach" Invitational at Delaware Country Club.
HIGH SCHOOL: Gilmore shot 70-79--149 to finish 11th in the IHSAA state finals as a senior ... prior to arriving at Ball State, he participated in U.S. Open qualifying and the prestigious Southeastern Amateur, playing with new Ball State teammates in each event ... the four-time all-state player finished seventh in the IHSAA finals as a sophomore and eighth as a junior while leading the Panthers to fourth-, sixth-, fourth and eighth-place team finishes, respectively, during his prep career ... in junior golf competitions prior to signing at Ball State, highlights include qualifying for the 2023 United States Junior Amateur Championship by shooting 66 at Delaware Country Club in the local qualifier ... finished as runner-up in Fall 2023 in the Indiana Golf Hoosier Junior Championship (73-70 -143) and finished fourth in an elite international field of players at the Golfweek International Junior Invitational in Orlando, Florida (73-69 - 142).
PERSONAL: Parents are Kim Ellett and Terry Gilmore ... known in the junior golf circles as Happy Gilmore, he was born Landon James Gilmore and the nickname of "Happy" arrived when he won a long drive competition at the Pepsi Little People's Golf Tournament around the age of 9. A spectator called him "Happy," and it stuck.
Thursday, August 27
Thursday, August 27
Monday, August 24
Wednesday, August 19
