Phew. What a few days it has been for Karl Vilips. A few days ago Vilips was announced as the first brand ambassador of the legendary Tiger Woods’s ‘Sun Day Red’ brand. “At Sun Day Red, we were drawn towards his relentless work ethic and pioneering spirit that embody what we stand for and look for in our athletes. 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.” Great praise from one of the game’s greatest. Indeed! Young Vilips remarked it as the coolest thing happened to him. 

Vilips was competing at only his second-ever PGA Tour, the Mexico Open at Vidanta World, where he had a very difficult first day, notching a 3-over par score and looking likely to miss the cut. He then recovered on day 2 to score 6 under par and made the cut line by 1 stroke. His third day was worse than the first, as he scored a woeful 5 over par to go 2 above par for the tournament. But again, a nice recovery on day 4 saw him register a score of 2 under par to finish T72 on even par. After this play, he was slated to appear at the Cognizant Classic in the Palm Beaches, happening next week. The rookie however had to endure topsy-turvy curves for that.

So, he was moved to the first alternate at the Cognizant Classic after Jordan Spieth had announced that he would participate in the event. Down on his luck, the Australian golfer was given a ray of sunshine after Tyler McCumber withdrew, allowing him entry into the tournament again as a first alternate.

But then Aldrich Potgieter and Alejandro Tosti were added to the field after finishing Top 10 at the Mexico Open. This meant that Vilips, along with Paul Peterson had been moved back into alternate positions. If some other player withdraws, Vilips might find a spot in the field, if not, he might have to wait some more!

Vilips will be looking to use this incident as motivation to keep pushing for the heights he is destined for. His journey, last few days, has been testing, indeed.

Karl Vilips seek inspiration from Tiger Woods

Born in Indonesia, the Australian moved to the United States when he was 11 years old, with one goal in mind – golf, just like his hero Tiger Woods.“He’s[Tiger Woods] who got me into this sport, who motivated me to be who I am today. The mentality he brought to everything that he does.” Vilips stated.

His decision to join Stanford University was a no-brainer. That’s where his hero Tiger Woods went. “Tiger Woods was my idol growing up, and knowing that he drives the insights and meticulousness behind Sun Day Red’s apparel and footwear gives us a unique edge that no other company can match. I couldn’t be more proud to be the brand’s first official ambassador,” he said of his collaboration.

“I’ve had a handful of interactions with [Woods]; all have been progressively a little bit better,” Vilips shared. “I think the first time I met him, I was 6 and I was just awestruck looking at him. Couldn’t really say anything. Just listened to whatever he had to say. And then met him again a couple of years later. Throughout this whole [Sun Day Red] process, it’s been really cool to hear what he’s had to say in picking me as an ambassador. I hold that to heart. It’s a huge honor.”

Vilips has been regularly punching above his weight in the golfing world. He turned professional after finishing 10th in the 2024 PGA Tour University Ranking. He joined the PGA Tour Americas and also made the occasional appearance at the Korn Ferry Tour. His appearances in the Korn Ferry Tour have been exemplary, having recorded two top-25 finishes in two events. He clinched his first title at the Utah Championship presented by Zions Bank and Intermountain Health. All this in just four starts. The victory made him the second youngest winner on the 2024 Tour at 22 years, 11 months, and 9 days, only behind Aldrich Potgieter. This led to him winning the Rookie of the Year on the Tour and also helped him earn PGA Tour Membership for the 2025 season.

The setback at the Cognizant Classic will end up being just a minor blot in an otherwise amazing career-to-be. He has his hero supporting him all the way. Do you think Vilips will get his First PGA Tour win as a rookie, similar to what he did at the Korn Ferry Tour?