Category: Boys Golf

Tiger Woods’ son Charlie part of Florida state championship team

Charlie Woods, the son of Tiger, got a trophy for his golf collection on the winning Benjamin School team in the Florida championship.

Charlie Woods can now say he’s achieved a golf accomplishment his father Tiger never has: Win a high school state championship.

On Wednesday, the 14-year-old Woods was on the Benjamin School (North Palm Beach, Fla.) boys golf team that won the Florida High School Athletic Association Class A state championship, taking down second-place First Academy (Orlando, Fla.) by just one stroke.

The five-player golf team of Benjamin kept all individual round scores below 80, with sophomore Jake Valentine and freshman Brooks Colton leading the way with scores of 148 and 149, respectively, over the two rounds.

Woods finished with the fourth-best score on the Benjamin team, golfing 78 and 76 in his rounds. His total score of 154 was No. 26 overall in the 96-person tournament.

While Tiger, who was in attendance at the event, never won a state championship, he also never competed in one. And he did become the youngest U.S. Junior Amateur champion at age 15, so Charlie can’t hold much over him yet.

Happy Gilmore signs with Ball State to play golf (yes, this is real)

Happy Gilmore signs with Ball State.

Happy Gilmore has officially signed to play golf with Ball State.

No, this isn’t a public relations stunt. A high school golfer and a senior from Indiana, Landon James Gilmore signed on to represent Ball State on Friday. He has held the name of ‘Happy’ since he was nine years old after he had won a driving competition.

A spectator gave him the name, obviously inspired by the film Happy Gilmore, starring Adam Sandler. The movie centers around an amateur hockey player who transitions to playing golf. His boorish behavior doesn’t inspire much camaraderie on the golf tour but fans embraced his demeanor in the movie.

As of Friday afternoon, Shooter McGavin did not return a request for comment.

 

 

Despite the obvious buzz with his name, Gilmore is one of the top-ranked players in Indiana. He was a highly sought-after recruit.

“The excitement and energy around Happy joining our program is evident,” Ball State golf coach Mike Fleck said in a statement about Gilmore’s signing with the program.

“We are not only getting an elite junior player, but we are adding a great young man to the mix. He has positioned himself as one of the best and most recognizable junior golfers in the country, and has a tournament tested resume of success both in Indiana and nationally. Ball State golf is excited to welcome Happy Gilmore to our family!”

In other unrelated news, fellow MAC program Akron has announced that Billy Madison has signed his National Letter of Intent to play dodgeball for the Zips.

Happy Gilmore commits to Ball State, gets Adam Sandler’s blessing

Happy Gilmore — yes, that is his name — committed to Ball State, which prompted a response from Adam Sandler himself.

Happy Gilmore didn’t break Twitter when announcing his college commitment — he was testing its durability.

Bloomington South (Ind.) senior Happy Gilmore, whose real name is Landon but was monikered Happy at the age of 6, committed to Ball State University on Friday. According to Golfweek, the high school golfer shot 66 at a U.S. Junior Amateur qualifier and is ranked 497th in the Golfweek/Sagarin boys rankings.

With the announcement, people on Twitter saw the graphic and started spreading it around, prompting responses from notable figures, including Adam Sandler himself, who starred in the 1996 golf film as the titular character with the explosive spirit and wacky swing.

“Go get em Happy. Pulling for you,” Sandler tweeted.

Shooter McGavin also took note of the commitment:

Gilmore told the Indy Star that he started going by Happy full-time when he was around 13 years old. His caddie posts his scores to the website Team Happy Gilmore, which was updated through April as of his commitment time.

“I don’t think it adds any pressure to me,” Gilmore said of his name in an interview with the Indy Star. “But I do know that whatever I do is going to be seen. Especially as far as leaderboards when people are scrolling down and see ‘Happy Gilmore’ they are going to look at it, obviously. So I do know that, but I don’t let it get in my head or that I have to play good because of it. I just go out and do my thing.”

In other words, he has already risen above the pressure.

Related:

Amateur Adjacent: Best mid- to high-handicap options similar to Wyndham Clark’s winning bag

Amateur Adjacent: Best mid- to high-handicap options similar to Brooks Koepka’s winning bag

While the PGA Championship winner’s setup might work for some, there are more suitable options for amateurs that are in the same brand lineup as Koepka’s.

Brooks Koepka held off the weather, the field, and the tight track at Oak Hill to claim his third PGA Championship, tying notable icons Gene Sarazen and Sam Snead in Wanamaker Trophy history.

For Koepka, it’s a comeback tale that only sports can provide, a one-eighty from injury-plagued seasons that were saturated in doubt.

That’s now in the rearview as the talented golfer secures his fifth major, a solid follow-up act to his 2023 Masters run.

As expected, the national stage always piques amateur golfers’ interest, especially regarding what’s in the bag. And that includes high school golfers who are tinkering with their equipment ahead of the summer practices and the fall seasons—in certain states—after that. 

With that in mind, here’s the full breakdown, which includes other options that might fit higher handicappers a litter better.

For more equipment breakdowns, check out the wonderful work from Golfweek’s gear guru David Dusek.

5 of the best deals on ‘distance and forgiveness’ drivers at PGA TOUR Superstore

Best golf sales ahead of the summer swing takes us to the star of the show: the driver.

Bombing a drive off the tee in golf has become one of the most compelling feats in the sports world. And the rise of equipment technology has allowed amateurs to pull of the long-ball launching—in theory—just like the professionals, which leaves everyone from 20-plus to single-digit handicappers constantly searching for the star of the show: the driver. 

Golfweek’s golf gear expert, David Dusek, broke it down perfectly in his 2023 driver review:

Everyone wants to hit the ball farther and straighter, and with exotic materials like titanium, carbon fiber and tungsten used to make today’s drivers, the dream of more distance can be a reality for many players.

The best way to discover the driver that is best suited to your swing and game is to work with a good custom fitter who has a launch monitor, try several models (along with different shafts) and see which performs best.

Of course, the latter part of that is often given a head-nod, and then ignored, which is usually the same case when discussing the different models available from the top brands in the game.

As it goes, we all want to hit it longer, straighter, and less spinny, and according to the blurbs accompanying the newest releases, the formula has always been cracked and rests within THIS year’s model.

But in reality, the drivers available from prior years pack just as much technology that can help a wide demo of golfers—including those in high school, and, as we’ll note below, even Collin Morikawa.

With in mind, here our are top picks from the sale rack at PGA TOUR Superstore.

Most state championships in boys high school golf history

The best of the best throughout boys high school golf history.

The Masters always adds an extra level of excitement for the game of golf, sort of the opening ceremony to the tee times that will continue into the summer and early fall.

And while the pros take on the iconic track at Augusta National, we decided to let our golf fandom turn toward the historical vault for a look at the great generations of high school teams throughout history.

If state championships are the barometer, few can argue that these nine boys teams don’t belong in the “greatest of all time” conversations.

Let’s tee it up…

(Data collected via NFHS archives and state association updates)