Adam Scott wants to meet fellow Aussie Karl Vilips who is among five Australians at the $40m The Players Championship
Adam Scott has never met Karl Vilips but he knows the journey of the former child prodigy turned PGA Tour winner and wants to catch up with his fellow Aussie.
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Adam Scott labelled fellow Aussie Karl Vilips’ breakthrough PGA Tour win, at just his fourth start, the “ultimate rise”, with the 23-year-old former child prodigy set to play in the field with Scott at this week’s Players Championship, the biggest event of his fledgling career.
Vilips, 23, earnt his way into the $40m event considered by the players to be the fifth major on the back of his win at the Puerto Rico Open last weekend, a victory coming in just his ninth month as a professional.
While Scott has never met Vilips, who was born in Jakarta, Indonesia, then raised in Melbourne, Sydney and Perth before heading to the US as an 11-year-old to pursue his golfing ambitions, the 2013 Masters champ is well aware of his compatriot’s story.
Vilips’ entire journey to the tour has been documented via his YouTube page and “Koala Karl” has tasted success at nearly every level.
He was an All-American in high school and played his college career at Stanford, the alma mater of Tiger Woods, who picked Vilips to be the first player ambassador for his Sun Day Red clothing brand.
None of it has been lost on Scott, who said he looked forward to crossing paths with Vilips at TPC Sawgrass this week.
“Yeah, it’s the ultimate. It’s incredible,” Scott said of Vilips’ journey.
“Understanding where he came from and coming through the college system, I think the college system is just unbelievable these days. It was not really a focus, I guess, on juniors and amateurs in Australia when I was there, but now I would encourage everyone to come over here and get a taste for it and get comfortable with being in the United States away from home.
“He’s done an incredible job, even down to doing the YouTube and putting himself out there.
“It’s a different generation than me, for sure, but I know he’s working, he’s got a great team around him, and it’s paying off, and now he’s set himself up for the beginning of what can be an incredible career on the PGA Tour.
“I’m very excited for him and I think it’s neat he has this kind of Stanford-Tiger Woods connection with the Sun Day Red. Very cool for him, and I heard he got a text from Tiger after he won as well, so I look forward to meeting Karl and congratulating him.”
Vilips and Scott are among five Australians in the Players that Cam Smith won in 2022 before his LIV golf defection which ruled him out of returning.
Jason Day, fresh off a top-10 finish at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, Min Woo Lee and Cam Davis round out the Australian challenge.
Vilips, though, looms as the most intriguing, having jumped to 105 in the world on the back of his win that earnt him a two-year PGA Tour exemption.
He shelved celebrations to get to Jacksonville, where he lives with roommates, and has played TBC Sawgrass “a bunch”, making The Players a “home” tournament to ease his comfort levels.
“I’m just excited to sleep in my own bed, cook my own meals, be with my roommates. It’s going to be a lot of fun,” he said.
“Never really had a chance to do like a home tournament. Obviously, just moving there in November, I played the 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.”
Originally published as Adam Scott wants to meet fellow Aussie Karl Vilips who is among five Australians at the $40m The Players Championship
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