Rookie Karl Vilips secured a spot at the upcoming PLAYERS Championship thanks to a three-shot victory at the Puerto Rico Open.
The 23-year-old Australian, making only his fourth start on the PGA TOUR, fought off Denmark’s Rasmus Neegaard-Petersen and America’s Joseph Bramlett by carding a superb 8-under 64 in the final round at the Grand Reserve Golf Club to close on 26 under and collect a first PGA TOUR title.
Vilips is only the 12th player since 1970 to earn a victory on the PGA TOUR inside their first four starts. He also became the first player to win on the PGA TOUR sporting Tiger Woods’ “Sun Day Red” apparel after he became the brand’s first ambassador in February. As a result, he received a message from the 15-time major winner following his triumph.
“It was tough because I got on my phone after the round and I was just scrolling, like who was texting me?” Vilips said. “I got one from a random number that called me as well.
“Then there was a voicemail saying it’s Tiger and I couldn’t like process it in the moment, I was just trying to – I’ll get back to that later. That’s pretty cool.
“I signed it [deal with Sun Day Red] three weeks ago, so not too long since a Sun Day Red player has got a win. I think it’s really special. I think it shows me that there’s a reason why they chose me to rep their brand and I’m just happy to be able to do it in a way as myself.”
Victory means that the Australian will be taking part in this week’s PLAYERS Championship at TPC Sawgrass as well as the PGA Championship in May. He also receives a PGA TOUR exemption which will last until the end of the 2027 season.
“I’m just excited to sleep in my own bed, cook my own meals, be with my room-mates,” Vilips said when talking about THE PLAYERS Championship at TPC Sawgrass, a venue he lives not too far away from. “It’s going to be a lot of fun. 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.
“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.”
Despite a strong challenge in the final round from Neergaard-Petersen, which included six consecutive birdies at the beginning of the back nine, he could only settle for a second-place finish on 23 under while Bramlett finished five shots adrift in third on 21 under.
What is the next event?
The next event on the PGA TOUR schedule is THE PLAYERS Championship taking place between 13-16 March at TPC Sawgrass in Florida.