Karl Vilips only turned pro in June and already has a PGA Tour card

Karl Vilips won junior world championships before he hit high school and now he’s advanced to the best tour in the world faster than even he thought.

Former child prodigy Karl Vilips’ ascension to the world’s best tour is complete, earning his PGA tour card just months after finishing college and turning professional.

Vilips, coached by Col Swatton, who guided Jason Day to No.1 in the world during their lengthy association, finished in the top 30 on the secondary Korn Ferry Tour to earn his ticket to the big dance.

The 23-year-old from Perth only turned professional in June after graduating from Stanford University, the same college Tiger Woods attended.

Vilips, who has been in the US since he was given a scholarship when he was aged just 11, then won the Utah Championship the next week to confirm his standing as a star on the rise.

He qualified for the season-ending Korn Ferry Tour Championship and was No.19 of the PGA Tour cards given to the top 30 on the season’s points list, having played just 10 events.

.@PGATOURU ➡️ #KornFerryTour ➡️ @PGATOUR

It took just 10 starts for Karl Vilips to earn his way to the biggest stage in golf.

He is officially #TOURBound and headed to the PGA TOUR in 2025. pic.twitter.com/vtuOzVqySF

— Korn Ferry Tour (@KornFerryTour) October 6, 2024

Vilips won the US Kids World Championship twice at age seven and nine and the Callaway Junior Worlds at 10 and a gold medal at the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics before his college career, which included signing off by winning the Pac-12 Championship in May that helped earn him partial Korn Ferry Tour status.

After his win in Utah, Vilips said his goals for 2024 were to try get and conditional status on the Korn Ferry Tour.

“The goals have definitely changed a lot over the last two months,” he said as the PGA Tour card became a possibility.

“When I first got out here, it was a little bit of a leap from college golf, for sure with how low the guys are going out here. Seeing who I’m able to compete with week in week out gives me a lot of confidence to see that I can compete at the next level.”

Originally published as Karl Vilips only turned pro in June and already has a PGA Tour card