Former Aussie baby prodigy Karl Vilips has joined present world No.1 Scottie Scheffler as a winner of a coveted rookie of the 12 months award simply months into his skilled profession.
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Vilips, who moved to the US when he was 10 to additional his {golfing} ambitions and this 12 months completed school profession at Stanford, Tiger Woods’ faculty, was named the Korn Ferry Tour’s rookie of the 12 months, an award Scheffler gained in 2019.
The 23-year-old from Perth , who solely turned skilled in June, did sufficient in 10 begins on the secondary tour to additionally safe his PGA Tour card for 2025.
Vilips, who will return residence later this month to play the Australian Open, made a direct affect as a professional, profitable at his third begin when he took out the Utah Championship, changing into the second-youngest winner on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2024.
Vilips was one in all solely two rookie winners on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2024, and one in all solely two rookies who earned PGA Tour membership for the 2025 season after ending nineteenth on the season-long factors record, regardless of solely enjoying in 10 occasions.
His fast ascension by means of the skilled ranks got here after incomes All-America Second Staff honours in his ultimate 12 months at Stanford, ending his , collegiate profession ranked No. 5 in Stanford historical past in profession scoring common, a listing topped by Woods.
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Vilips has already made his main championship debut in 2023, enjoying within the US Open and has already handed quite a few his countryman on this planet rankings, sitting at 239th, which makes him the seventh highest ranked Australian with solely Cameron Smith, Lucas Herbert, Cameron Davis, Min Woo Lee, Jason Day and Adam Scott forward of him.
Scott is the one member of that crew who gained’t be on the Australian Open, being performed at Kingston Heath and Victoria Golf golf equipment in Melbourne from November 28.