Karl Vilips is an Australian professional golfer who secured his PGA Tour card after finishing 19th in the 2024 Korn Ferry Tour standings. A former child prodigy, Vilips claimed his first professional victory at the 2024 Utah Championship on his fourth Korn Ferry Tour start. Find out more about his life and career below…
Karl Vilips Facts
1. Karl Vilips was born on 16 August, 2001 in Jakarta, Indonesia, and grew up in Perth, Australia.
2. Vilips is a former child golf prodigy, winning the US Kids World Championship twice at the age of seven and nine. He also won the Callaway Junior Worlds when he was 10.
3. He got into golf through his father, Paul, who took him to the local golf club at a young age. In an interview with Practical Golf, Paul said he got kicked out of his golf club in Australia – which didn’t allow children to play – for letting a five-year-old Karl have a swing on the course.
4. Vilips moved to the United States at the age of 11 to play golf and study on scholarships, building a strong junior career resume, including victories at the 2017 Southern Amateur Championship at 15 and winning the gold medal at the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics.
5. He continued that high level into college at Stanford University, capping off his college career with victory at the Pac-12 Championship in May 2024, which helped him earn Korn Ferry Tour status. He finished No.10 in the 2024 PGA Tour University Rankings.
6. While studying at Stanford, he lived with teammate and close friend Michael Thorbjonrnsen, who finished top of the 2024 PGA Tour University Rankings. The pair have been friends since they were children and now live in the same residential complex in Jacksonville, Florida.
7. Vilips claimed top-15 finishes in his first four starts on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2024, including runner-up at the NV5 Invitational and his first professional win at the Utah Championship.
8. He hit his first ace as a professional at the NV5 Invitational on the 160-yard par 3 at The Glen Club.
9. Vilips’ Australian coach since 2020 has been Col Swatton, who has also worked with fellow Aussie and former world No.1 Jason Day.
10. He made his first Major and PGA Tour start at the 2023 US Open, where he missed the cut.
11. He finished 19th in the 2024 Korn Ferry Tour standings after just 10 starts to secure his PGA Tour card for the 2025 season.
12. He has made over $340,000 in his career so far prior to joining the PGA Tour.
13. He is a fantasy football enthusiast.
14. Vilips has a popular YouTube channel, with almost 40,000 subscribers. The channel includes highlights from his junior career to his time as a pro, with the first video posted in 2008.
15. Vilips said that the YouTube channel, which he runs with his father Paul, helped cover costs while he was playing golf around the world growing up. “My dad was always my coach, until a certain point, and we felt like I was pretty good,” Vilips said in an interview with the PGA Tour in 2024. “Putting up good results as a young kid. We just committed to getting good at this sport. We started the YouTube channel back then to help cover some costs – which was very helpful. We probably wouldn’t be here without that stuff.”
