Ball State gofer Happy Gilmore, who has just signed an NIL deal with Sunday. Sunday Golf Happy Gilmore isn’t just a beloved yet hotheaded hockey hooligan turned golfer with a trademark run-up swing—he’s also a well-spoken, business-savvy freshman on Ball State’s golf team, capable of dialing up 190 mph of ball speed off the tee. The management and leadership major from Bloomington, Indiana, was born Landon James Gilmore, but the nickname has stuck with him since elementary school. It came courtesy of a spectator shout-out at the Pepsi Little People’s Golf Championship, where Happy won a long drive competition. Gilmore, who received kudos from Adam Sandler—the progenitor of his fictional alter-ego—on social media when he committed to Ball State, has been fielding offers from a bevy of brands eager to hop on the Happy bandwagon. But he’s been very selective, making sure each opportunity that comes up aligns with his values, is a good fit, and doesn’t impinge upon his playing schedule. Sunday Golf, a bag brand he was already familiar with, was an easy choice after he did his due diligence. “I had to make sure it was compliant with Ball State and that I was able to do this deal,” Gilmore explained. It certainly helps that he buys into their approach to the game. “I like what they’re trying to do with golf. Golf has that country club [mentality] —everyone thinks you should act a certain way and be a certain way. I like how Sunday Golf is more of a vibe—going out with your buddies, playing some country music and enjoying the time. When I had a chance to go out to their office a couple weeks ago, they even have that vibe there—they’re super cool and laid-back and everyone’s getting along.” When the topic of the best and worst parts of being the real-life Happy Gilmore comes up, the D1 college golfer reflects on how his feelings about it have evolved, admitting that when he was younger, the ad nauseam movie quotes became a bit much. MORE FOR YOU NYT Mini Today: Hints, Clues And Answers For Tuesday, April 1 South Korean Actor Kim Soo-hyun Denies Underage Dating Allegations Women’s Final Four In Tampa Set, AT&T Brings The Energy “People always doing it would get really annoying. Now that I’m older, I have so much fun with it and it fuels me when people try to be funny and make some joke about the movie,” Gilmore enthused. He’s seen Happy Gilmore more times than he can count—like most golfers—and his favorite scene? The legendary tussle with the late Bob Barker of Price Is Right fame. “Another thing is always having to tell people, ‘Yes, my name is Happy Gilmore.’ Stuff like that gets old too. We have a Chik-Fil-A on campus and they always ask for a name. When I tell them, they’ll look at me weird and then they’ll type it in. They’ve called me Hadley before, Hannah once and these off-the-wall names because they don’t understand that it’s ‘Happy,’ the emotion. I don’t think it could be any simpler.” Happy’s signing is the latest in a string of playful Sunday Golf marketing moves that have captured the industry spotlight. The San Diego company has turned heads with a successful crowdfunding campaign, minting a deal with a first-grader—a Southern California State Champion in his age group—along with a partnership with Tom Brady (zero relation to the QB GOAT) on a golf bag line benefiting Youth On Course. “We were always really impressed with his game. We’ve been keeping up with him, seeing how he’s been playing and performing at Ball State,” Camden Wicker, director of customer experience at Sunday Golf, said. “He’s a great kid with a good head on his shoulders and he hits the ball pretty far,” Wicker added. Gilmore will still sport his usual bag in team competition, but will promote Sunday in the offseason and in posts on social. The initial deal runs through the end of the year but the bag maker’s goal is to forge a longstanding relationship. The signing dovetails with the company’s introduction of Recess Bags, a line of youth-sized golf bags for kids aged 5-8 and 9-12 that debuted a couple of months back. As for Happy, the deals are expected to keep pouring in. With anticipation building for Happy Gilmore 2, which will be released on Netflix on July 25 the “real-life” Happy’s star power has a strong tailwind, adding yardage to his celebrity. He has already lined up a partnership with a major national fast-food chain, set to be announced in the coming weeks. On the golf course, Gilmore’s standout performances this season include a third place showing at the Golfweek "Put Me In Coach" Invitational and another top five performance at the Purdue Fall Invite Individual. While recent outings have yielded much quieter results, he is optimistic he will finish strong. “I know if I go out and play good golf, the finishes will just happen on their own. Right now, I’ve not been playing too well after the winter. I haven’t really come back into form yet,” Gilmore said. The goal is to peak in time for the Mid-American Conference Championship at the end of April and help the Cardinals win back-to-back league titles. Follow me on Twitter. Editorial StandardsForbes Accolades