'Why not?': Vilips has eye of Tiger in Players debut

Yahoo

13-03-2025

He'd be defying history and a world-class field in just his fifth PGA Tour event.
But does Australian bolter Karl Vilips think he can win The Players Championship?
"Why not?"
The 23-year-old won his spot at TPC Sawgrass for the unofficial fifth major after claiming the Puerto Rico Open last weekend in just his fourth Tour start.
Tiger Woods chose the fellow Stanford graduate as the first to wear his Sun Day Red clothing brand.
And the 15-time major champion was quick to send a text and leave a voicemail when his call went unanswered in the chaotic minutes after that breakout triumph.
"Pretty surreal; you can only dream about it as a kid," Vilips said.
"I got that voicemail and the message to say he's very proud of me; it was an awesome feeling."
Victory earnt Vilips a start at the Florida layout he became familiar with after moving from Perth to the city as an 11-year-old.
But he's never seen the Stadium Course quite like this.
"It's crazy; I've never seen the greens this fast and the rough this long," he said.
"But in the end it's all the same; just got to hit the fairway and the green out here."
Only one man - New Zealand's Craig Perks in 2002 - has conquered the Players Championhip in their event debut over the last four decades.
But the confident Australian is giving himself a chance.
"The realistic goal would be a good, top-20 finish," he said.
"If I play really well, not let the nerves and everything get to me.
"But definitely, why not?
"I've got to beat a lot of great players and play much better golf than I did last week, but I've obviously thought about it."
Former champions Adam Scott (2004) and Jason Day (2016), as well as Min Woo Lee and Cam Davis will join their younger compatriot as world No.1 Scottie Scheffler goes for a third-straight title.
"You can't fake it around this place," Scheffler said.
"I think there's a lot of genius in the way the golf course is designed.
"It doesn't suit one type of player," he said.
"It's not a horses-for-courses-type place. It's just the guys that are playing the best are going to be on the leaderboard on Sunday."
Scheffler has a chance to join Jack Nicklaus as the only three-time winners of The Players Championship.
But Nicklaus won his three before it moved to the TPC Sawgrass in 1982.
The Masters champion is still waiting to hit his stride after sitting out all of January with a hand injury.
But he has been on an amazing run, a nine-win season in 2025 building such a big rankings lead that he is assured of remaining on top for two straight years.
No one except Woods has done that.
"Scottie is the closest thing to Tiger I think any of us have seen," Wyndham Clark said.
"He not only is the No. 1 player in the world, he embraces it, and he shows up every week and almost wins or is in contention or does win. It's very impressive."
- with The AP
With AP