Karl Vilips recently got his PGA Tour card after finishing 19th on the Korn Ferry Tour standings in 2024. The golfer, apart from his performance, has been praised by Tiger Woods for his performance. Woods said, “With his impressive track record and determination, I have no doubt he will make a significant impact quickly on the PGA TOUR and is one of the game’s future stars.” He was the first brand ambassador for the Sun Day Red of Tiger Woods.

The credit for his illustrious career goes to his parents, especially Paul Vilips, who introduced the sport to him. While the golfer has become the topic of talk, his parents are still under the shadow despite the substantial contribution. Here is all the information about his parents.

Karl Vilips’s Parents

The young golf prodigy was born in Jakarta, Indonesia on 16 August 2001. His mother was Indonesian (name not disclosed) and his father Paul Vilips is Australian. The couple got divorced in 2002 when the golfer was one-year-old. He has been raised by his father since then, as Karl Vilips moved to Perth, Australia.

On Christmas 2003, at the age of 2, the first set of golf clubs changed the future for the golfer. All thanks to his father, Paul Vilips. And the journey under the guidance of the father continued.

Paul Vilips’s influence on the golfer

The first present on Christmas has helped the Australian professional build interest in the sport. As shared by the father during the interview with Practical Golf, he shared how his membership got suspended for letting young Karl play at the course. The golf club didn’t welcome children, and with the young golfer convincing his father of a shot, it led to a heavy toll. The manager found out about it and said, “I snuck out there under the suspicion that you might let your boy have a hit. So when your membership comes up for renewal, I’m not going to let you renew.”

Despite the setback, Paul Vilips was adamant to get the youngster the exposure with the best club. Initially, the father got him three clubs, including a putter, a wood and a 7-iron costing $25 each. However, later, when the time for buying a set came in, the duo struggled financially. They found out a way to buy clubs in return for second-hand golf balls, which were bought for a dollar. After a week of finding 600 golf balls from the rough at The Cut Golf Club, Karl Villips could afford to get his first full set.

Later, the golf prodigy was enrolled to participate in the under eights competition in Perth when he was six years old. The courses he played at were ladies’ tees, which were over 5,000 yards, and shot 46 for nine holes. Whereas the U.S. Kids event had 36 nine-hole scores at a 1,000-yard course, which led his father to realize his potential. Further, Paul Villips started to raise money to send him to the championship. And the journey of the child prodigy began with significant results each year. Vilips won the US Kids Championship twice at the age of seven and nine. Continuing, he won the Callaway Junior Worlds at the age of 10.

Father-son relationship

The golfer that we see with his amazing swing and illustrious career has a huge role as his father. Even Vilips has never stepped back to showcase that. For the past two Father’s Days, he has been sharing a gratitude-filled caption with the young days’ images. One of the captions reads, “Happy Father’s Day pops! So grateful for everything you have done for me #fathersday.”

Apart from just introducing Karl Vilips to the game, Paul Vilips also was the coach for him to maintain consistent performance since his young days. Sharing about how he oversees his performance from 15,000 miles away and shares if anything goes unnoticed with him. Even discusses with the coaches at the academy, he shared during the interview.

Well, not just the son, but the proud father has also shared a bio dedicated to Karl Vilips on X. It reads, “On the wrong side of 50 and out of shape, but love seeing my son achieve his potential.”

The great story of persistence despite the financial struggle has been the key reason for the performance of Karl Vilips, that the golf world observes. Even the credit goes to his father, who has been the strongest support for him. Did you know about the father-son duo? What are your thoughts after knowing the early life of the golfer and his parents? Let us know in the comments below.