[Photo: Getty images]
Former world No.1 Adam Scott has praised the meteoric rise of Australian youngster Karl Vilips and the US college system after the 23-year-old’s breakthrough PGA Tour at last week’s Puerto Rico Open.
Vilips won his maiden PGA Tour title in only his fourth start as a professional on the top American circuit last week, with an emphatic three-shot triumph at the opposite field event to the Arnold Palmer Invitational. It was only months ago that Vilips graduated from the secondary Korn Ferry Tour, where he won in 2024.
Originally from Perth, Vilips went to high school in the US before playing college golf at the former school of Tiger Woods, Stanford University in California.
Recently, Vilips also signed on as the first ever PGA Tour ambassador for Woods’ apparel company, Sun Day Red.
Scott, the 2013 Masters champion who was once a college golfer himself, at University of Las Vegas Nevada, was asked Tuesday at the Players Championship about Vilips’ first year as a professional golfer. Vilips joined the paid ranks midway through 2024.
“Yeah, it’s the ultimate [rise]; it’s incredible,” 2004 Players champion Scott said at TPC Sawgrass. “Understanding where he came from and coming through the college system, I think the college system is just unbelievable these days. It was not really a focus, I guess, on juniors and amateurs in Australia when I was [young], but now I would encourage everyone to come over here and get a taste for it and get comfortable with being in the United States away from home. He’s done an incredible job, even down to doing the YouTube and putting himself out there.”
Scott is yet to meet Vilips, who is 21 years his junior, but looks forward to seeing Australian golf’s brightest prospect in person.
“It’s a different generation than me, for sure, but I know he’s working, he’s got a great team around him, and it’s paying off, and now he’s set himself up for the beginning of what can be an incredible career on the PGA Tour,” Scott said of Vilips, who shares a swing coach with Jason Day in the celebrated guru Col Swatton.
“I’m very excited for him and I think it’s neat he has this kind of Stanford-Tiger Woods connection with the Sun Day Red. Very cool for him, and I heard he got a text from Tiger after he won as well, so I look forward to meeting Karl and congratulating him.”
