Latest news with #Vilips
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
'Why not?': Vilips has eye of Tiger in Players debut
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
Reuters
13-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Reuters
'Koala' Karl Vilips looking to back up PGA breakthrough at Players
March 13 (Reuters) - Karl Vilips celebrated his breakthrough win on the U.S. PGA tour with a couple of hours playing Super Smash Bros. but it was back to business on Wednesday as he started his preparations for the Players Championship. The 23-year-old Australian earned a last-minute invite to the "fifth major" at TPC Sawgrass with last weekend's victory at the Puerto Rico Open in only his fourth start on the tour. A couple of congratulatory messages from Tiger Woods, whose apparel brand he promotes, confirmed Vilips had arrived among golf's elite and he was still getting his head around it. "Pretty surreal," he said. "I mean, it's something you can only dream about as a kid. I got that voicemail, and then the message, which for him to say that he was very proud of me was just an awesome feeling." Although only ninth months into his professional career, Vilips' long-standing social media presence means he has been well-known as "Koala Karl" to golf fans on the internet for nearly a decade. The Australian nickname is no longer reflected in his accent after 12 years in America, including four playing golf at Stanford University, but Vilips is proud of his country's heritage in the sport. Jakarta-born Vilips, who won gold for Australia at the 2018 Youth Olympics, said major winners like Adam Scott and Jason Day had been a big influence on him growing up. "They were the best in the country, representing Australia well," he added. "And I want to fill their shoes someday. I've been able to keep in touch with Jason a little bit and it's been great. So definitely guys I look up to and people that I want to be like." Both Scott (2004) and Day (2016) won the Players Championship but Vilips thinks it unlikely he will join them this week, with a top-20 finish his "realistic goal". He was not entirely ruling out a victory at a course close to his Jacksonville home, though. "I would be pretty surprised," he said. "I've got to beat a lot of great players, I've got to play unbelievable golf. I think I would need to play much better golf than I did last week, just because this course is a little bit harder. "But I've obviously thought about it, winning the Players here. That would be unbelievable."
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
What Tiger told Aussie after breakthrough win
Rising Australian star Karl Vilips celebrated his million-dollar, career-changing breakthrough PGA Tour win by playing video games for two hours with a 'couple of beers', buzzing from a Tiger Woods voicemail but knowing he has bigger goals to kick at the Players Championship. Heralded by fellow Aussie Adam Scott as having the 'ultimate' rise from one-time child prodigy to PGA Tour winner at just his fourth start, Vilips, 23, revealed Woods, who signed him to his Sun Day Red clothing band, said he was 'proud' of the rookie. Taking in the voicemail, hours before Woods revealed he'd had surgery on his achilles, was part of a whirlwind few hours for Vilips after his three-shot win in Puerto Rico that included getting back to his Florida base just down the road from TPC Sawgrass, where he's in the field for the $40m event considered by players to be the fifth major. 'Played Super Smash Bros for about two hours,' Vilips said when asked how he celebrated a win that secured him PGA Tour playing rights for the 2026 and 2027 seasons. 'I got back at like 8pm, so I was just pretty zonked. We just cracked open a couple beers and played Smash Bros for a couple hours and then went to bed.' Vilips said listening to Woods' message was 'pretty surreal'. 'I mean something you could only dream about as a kid,' he said. 'I got that voicemail and then the message, which you know, for him to say that he was very proud of me, it's just really just an awesome feeling.' Australians have a terrific record at The Players, with Cam Smith (2022), Jason Day (2016) and Adam Scott (2004) winners this century. Despite the immediate elevation into the elite ranks for this week's event, Vilips, while eyeing a top-20 finish, said a win around a course he had played 'a bunch' wouldn't be a complete shock. New week, same mindset. #SunDayRed# — SUN DAY RED (@SunDayRed) March 12, 2025 But he knows he needs a lift on what he did in Puerto Rico last week. 'I think a realistic goal would be a good top-20 finish,' he said. 'If I play really well and keep the ball in front of me and just stay in the present and not let the nerves and everything get to me, I think I could definitely have the top-20 finish out here. 'I definitely (can win), why not, but at the same time I would be pretty surprised. I've got to beat a lot of great players, I've got to play unbelievable golf. 'I think I would need to play much better golf than I did last week just because this course is a little bit harder. I've obviously thought about it, winning The Players, that would be unbelievable.'
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Rookie Karl Vilips, new Tiger Woods-brand ambassador, wins first PGA Tour event in Puerto Rico
RIO GRANDE, Puerto Rico — Karl Vilips of Australia ran off three straight birdies to break out of an unexpected duel and played his best golf down the stretch Sunday for an 8-under 64 to win the Puerto Rico Open, his first PGA Tour victory in just his third start as a pro. The new 'Sun Day Red' brand of Tiger Woods adorned the apparel of a PGA Tour winner, and it was Vilips, the Stanford alum who has built his life around playing on the PGA Tour for as long as he can remember. The victory gets him into The Players Championship next week and the PGA Championship in May, along with a two-year exemption on the PGA Tour. 'It's a dream come true for me and my dad,' said Vilips, referring to a father who helped create a path to a U.S. school since Vilips was 11, a top junior career and scholarship to Stanford. The 23-year-old spent one year on the Korn Ferry Tour. 'This is what we dreamed of as a kid,' he said. Vilips responded to a sensational charge by Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen of Denmark, who birdied six straight holes to start the back nine and closed with a 63. The Dane briefly took the lead when Vilips made a bogey on the 12th hole with a wedge from the fairway. Vilips never flinched. He birdied the next three holes, including a nifty pitch to set up birdie on the par-5 14th hole to regain the lead, and a tee shot to 5 feet for birdie on the par-3 15th. He was never out of position the rest of the way and holed a 6-foot birdie putt on the final hole for a three-shot victory. 'Come on!' he yelled when the final birdie fell. Neergaard-Petersen was playing on a commissioner's exemption for international players. He fell back with a 73 on Saturday and then came charging on the final day. The runner-up finish gets him into the Valspar Championship in two weeks. 'When I made the putt on the 15th is when I thought if I can post a good number, we'll see,' Neergaard-Petersen said. 'I'm super happy for the day. I'm looking forward to another opportunity.' Joseph Bramlett, another Stanford alum, shot 68 to finish alone in third, five shots behind. Kieron Van Wyk, the South African trying to become the second amateur in as many years to win on the PGA Tour, didn't make enough birdies to keep up. He finished with a 70 and tied for fourth with Steven Fisk (68). Vilips, who finished at 26-under 262, earned $720,000. Because the tournament was held the same week as the Arnold Palmer Invitational, he does not get a Masters invitation by winning.
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Players Championship: Karl Vilips' late birdie spree in Puerto Rico earns last Players spot
Karl Vilips waited until the last possible moment to snare the last possible spot in The Players Championship. Vilips, a Stanford University graduate, native of Indonesia and a current Jacksonville resident by way of Perth, Australia, won the Puerto Rico Open on Sunday with a final-round 64 at the Grand Reserve Golf Club in Rio Grande, P.R. At 26-under-par 262, Vilips beat Rasum Neergaard-Peterson by three shots and earned a ticket to the Players Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass, where will make only his fifth PGA Tour start. Vilps birdied four of his last six holes and earned a first-place check of $720,000 in the event opposite the Arnold Palmer Invitational. He also picked up 300 FedEx Cup points and moved to 41st on the current standings. Vilips is also in the 2025 PGA May 12-15 at the Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte and has a two-year exemption onto the PGA Tour. 'Trying to soak it all in at the moment ... just thinking ahead to next week already, Players, I'm getting ready for it,' Vilips said during his post-round news conference. 'That was the big goal I wanted to get into The Players and I knew I had to win this week to do it. It's just a dream come true to be able to play in that tournament." Vilips, who moved to Jacksonville in November of 2025, said thinking about the perks of winning kept him awake Saturday night. 'That was about the only thing on my mind ... everything that comes with a victory here,' he said. 'I had a hard time getting to sleep. But on the course it was just staying in the present, doing what I can do and I think I did a really good job of that because it is tough to not think about everything. Once I hit that wedge close on 18, those thoughts definitely started flowing in my head.' Ironically, Vilips knocked former Jacksonville resident Bud Cauley out of the Players field. Cauley was the last player to qualify based on the 2025 FedEx Cup points list but winning a Tour event carries a higher priority and Cauley moved to first alternate The good news for Cauley is that he was back in The Players field 12 hour later. Lee Hodges withdrew early Monday because of a rib injury and Cauley replaced him. Vilips became the 12th player since 1970 to win a PGA Tour event on his fourth start or less, a list that includes Arnold Palmer Invitational winner Russell Henley, World Golf Hall of Fame member Seve Ballesteros, and 1999 British Open champion Paul Lawrie. Vilips first start was as an amateur when he qualified for the 2023 U.S. Open. Vilips also is another success story from PGA Tour University, which maintains a ranking system of results in college events, and Tour and Korn Ferry tournaments where college players get exemptions. He was 10th on last year's PGA Tour U standings, which earned him conditional Korn Ferry status. He made the most of it. Vilips had seven top-25 finishes in 10 starts, and won the Utah Championship, a week after finishing solo second in the NV5 Invitational. He finished 19th on the final Korn Ferry points list, earning his PGA Tour card for 2025. Vilips was unable to get a start until the Mexico Open. He tied for 72nd, then made the field for the Cognizant Open, and tied for 39th. Vilips, fifth all-time on the Stanford career scoring average list, became the seventh international winner in nine Tour events this season. He was a three-time All-Pac 12 player and won the 2024 Pac 12 Championship. Vilips should be familiar with the Stadium Course, albeit under far different circumstances than The Players. He had five starts in the Junior Players, which is held on Labor Day Weekend. But he finished among the top 10 each year and improved from year-to-year. He tied for ninth in 2016 when he was 14 years old, tied for eighth in 2017, was solo sixth in 2018, solo third in 2019 and tied for second in 2020. 'I'm just excited to sleep in my own bed, cook my own meals, be with my roommates. It's going to be a lot of fun,' he said. 'Never really had a chance to do a home tournament. Obviously just moving there in November, I played a course a bunch. It's been looking really good. Last time I played it was three weeks ago so I'm sure by now it's in pristine shape and I'm really excited." This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Karl Vilips earned last Players Championship spot with Puerto Rico victory
